Meet the Rookies Part 1: Aries Smart – Linebacker – Carolina Panthers

Welcome to the first installment of my Meet the Rookies Series.

 

We will start off with my own draft pick, linebacker Aries Smart.

 

Aries Smart was a standout linebacker for the USC Trojans. His coverage skills made him a nightmare for  B1G quarterbacks. (Still feels wrong).

 

Smart’s outstanding defensive play helped lead the Trojans to a College Football Playoff berth, where he unfortunately suffered a foot injury in the 2nd half of the Rose Bowl. The time frame of this injury caused him to miss the Combine and the USC Pro Day, plummeting his draft stock.

 

The Panthers took a chance on the kid, trading a 3rd, 4th, and 6th round pick to the Seahawks to move into the second round and select him at pick 30 in the second.

 

Smart’s elite instincts and coverage abilities make him the perfect fit at Will Linebacker in Dwayne Potter’s defense, with the potential to become a superstar in this league.