Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Get to know the Jaguars’ new additions from draft weekend with our ‘3 things to know’ series. With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, it’s time to reflect on how the Jacksonville Jaguars fared. Did Trent Baalke deliver a masterclass, or has he just set the Jags back five years? Truth is, we probably won’t know that for some time. But we can get to know the newest members of the team a little bit better. In the second of a mini-series of deep dives, here are three things to know about Maason Smith, DT, LSU: Smith hails from a real NFL community 
Maason Smith was born and raised in Houma, Louisiana, a modest city approximately two hours south of Baton Rouge. Hot and humid, it’s sadly probably best known for being almost totally destroyed by Hurricane Ida in 2021, but weirdly also has links with comic books - being the setting for both the Swamp Things series as well as the adopted home of The Suicide Squad. However, Houma’s real claim to fame is just how fertile ground it has proved to be when it comes to sending players to the NFL. Smith is the eighth player to make it to the league from the city, following in the footsteps of Joe Burks, Richie Cunningham, Skyler Green, Brandon Jacobs, Frank Lewis, Elijah McGuire and Tramon Williams. Considering Houma has a steady population of roughly 33,000, it’s an incredible output of professional football talent. The top-rated defensive lineman in the nation coming out of Terrebonne High School, Smith chose to leave Houma for LSU - the five-star recruit turning down thirty other scholarship offers to become a Tiger. He’ll be hoping to be the next one from his hometown to ball out on Sundays. Making weight - COVID style Maason Smith was drafted in round 2 pick 48 in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 8.46 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 279 out of 1808 DT from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/wLH7JLW8sX pic.twitter.com/ClgX66n9P1— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2024 Maason Smith cuts an imposing figure. Standing at 6’5” and weighing in at 306 lbs, he’s tall and fairly lean for a defensive tackle - although it hasn’t always been like that. The former LSU star ballooned to an incredible 380 lbs during the pandemic, a curse that many of us were punished with as the world went into lockdown and outdoor activities ceased. Unlike this writer, Smith wasted no time shrinking his waistline when the world reopened again - losing a whopping 52 lbs before his freshman year. I’m not sure which stat is more impressive, the weight loss or the weight gain! Now much more disciplined with his diet and regimen, Smith has been in peak condition for some time, playing at a weight that allows him to be explosive as an interior pass rusher. Some other interesting measurables; Smith isn’t just tall, he’s long too. His 35” arms sit in the 94th percentile, and his 85” wingspan in the 95th. That length allows him to stay off blocks and shed attention on his way to the backfield, where his speed and athleticism take care of the rest. Oddly, Smith has tiny hands by comparison - just 9” in size, which is only the 4th percentile of all draft prospects. Those mitts make Kenny Picketts’ hands look like baseball gloves. Maason Smith brings one of the weirdest physical profiles to the team. LSU - ‘Lack of Starts at University?’ Nobody loves to swing on athleticism like Trent Baalke. Maason Smith has the tools and size you want and the flashes were bright. Really interesting talent if the Jaguars can develop him pic.twitter.com/99T1nhuSI5— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) April 27, 2024 Selected with the 48th pick overall in the draft, Maason Smith will likely be expected to contribute early in his Jaguars career. But delve deeper, and that might not actually be a realistic goal - Smith heads to the NFL with a meager body of work on his resume. The defensive lineman played as a true freshman in the COVID-affected 2021 season, making an immediate impact with 19 tackles, six TFLs and four sacks in seven games. But an ACL tear just seven plays into his sophomore season saw him sit out 2022 almost entirely. Last year wasn’t quite the full season either. Recovering from that serious injury, Smith was actually suspended the first game of the year, a bruising defeat to Florida State that derailed LSU’s chances of a playoff spot from the start. Smith was forced to sit out the game after taking part in an autograph signing session before NIL rules were imposed in College Football, an arbitrary rule that seems less and less egregious the more collegiate athletes have legitimate means of making money. In all, Smith played just nineteen times for the Tigers before declaring for the draft. Predictably a little rusty, he didn’t quite build on his solid start at Baton Rouge like he would have hoped last year. As a result, he would be better served being considered as a ‘toolsy’ project, waiting for the right coaching staff to unlock his incredible potential. Jaguars fans will be hoping that Ryan Nielsen and his team are that staff, perhaps giving Jacksonville the final piece in what would be a fearsome defensive front. Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2024/4/30 ... ason-smith
