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How Maason Smith uses an extra 45 minutes a day to perfect his craft with the Jaguars
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- How Maason Smith uses an extra 45 minutes a day to perfect his craft with the Jaguars
Maason Smith hasn't played a regular-season down in the NFL yet, but that doesn't mean the Jacksonville Jaguars rookie isn't conducting himself like a pro.
Drafted in the second round in April, Smith is expected to play a vital role in Jacksonville's defense, led by defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. He's taken some time to get going after playing just 22 games while at LSU the last three years, but the work he's put in through camp and the preseason has shed some light on what he could be.
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"From OTAs, to the first day, to two days ago. The improvement of the player and him understanding. Playing defensive tackle, it's a lot of 'same as.' Same as blocks, angles of departure, things like that with the guard, pass sets. Really good pass rusher. I mean, he's done a good job in the pass rush game," Nielsen said of Smith earlier this month.
Smith missed most of his sophomore season at LSU due to a torn ACL suffered in Week 1 that season. As a result, he missed out on valuable development time. During his time at LSU, Smith had four different defensive line coaches, including Andre Carter (2021-22), Jamar Cain (2022-23), Jimmy Lindsey (2023) and Pete Jenkins (2023).
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Following a defensive overhaul after the 2023 season, LSU hired Bo Davis as the new defensive line coach. None of the changes are conducive to a profitable developmental plan for Smith, and while he improved during his junior season with the Tigers, a player who was once thought to be a potential top-10 pick in the draft slid to the middle of the second round.
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But, that doesn't mean he isn't improving and making progress now with the Jaguars, led by Nielsen and defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett.
"But just understanding how we play just a little bit different than — you look at his college, like we talked about, he didn't have a lot of playing time in college. So, this is a guy that's had a couple of injuries that now has been out there consistently. So, you're seeing the consistent — him being out there and then pushing to get better every day," Nielsen explained.
Maason Smith heeding advice from former player-turned-coach, learning how to be a pro
Jul 26, 2024; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Maason Smith (94) participates in training camp at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Smith sniffed his first bit of NFL action in the last two weeks against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this preseason.
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Smith, 6-foot-5, 306 pounds, has played 41 snaps across the two preseason games. Though he hasn't gotten in on the action as much according to his stat line, he's been formidable and has given the team pass rush, including two official pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.
Not all of what Smith has done to showcase his improvement is going to be seen in games, though. The Jaguars have purposefully thrown rookies into the fire to get them up to speed as quickly as possible. Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke echoed that sentiment during the game last Saturday against the Bucs.
"The thing you love about him, and it's going to sound redundant, but these guys come to work," Baalke said of Smith. They really do. They work their tail ends off all offseason. We've structured it in such a way that we're giving them more reps than we've ever given the rookie class for a reason, to put them in those situations."
Smith receives plenty of work during practice, constantly rotating in during team periods and getting extra work in during individual drills, typically followed closely by Nielsen who's a former defensive line coach.
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But what's setting Smith apart and accelerating his growth is the extra time he's put in before, during and after practices and he's taking advice from a former player, turned coach, who has been there and done that.
The Jaguars brought in a few coaches to take part in the NFL's Bill Walsh Fellowship Program, including former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl center/guard Andre Gurode. Gurode has already left an impact on Smith.
"Coach Dre told me something when he first got here and it was about extra time. He was like, 'If you put in 45 minutes each and every day to watching film — whether it's film or anything football related — you'll be that much ahead of your opponent.' We tend to spend 45 minutes a day just watching film and doing other things like that, just getting the adjustments needed and getting the opponents' offenses down and everything like that," Smith said Monday when asked what he and teammate rookie DL Jordan Jefferson have done extra.
Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson (98) and defensive tackle Maason Smith (94) face off during drills as defensive end Tyler Lacy (93) looks on. The Jacksonville Jaguars let most of the veterans off from participating in Monday's mandatory minicamp session held in the air conditioned enclosed field at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. June 10, 2024.
"Back sets, everything like that. So, just knowing my opponent better and being critical of what I'm doing on the field. Everything's not going to be perfect like I said, but you try to make it as perfect as you can so in a game, it comes easier."
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Smith's work ethic has stood out to Nielsen, too, something he said Tuesday was part of being a pro and learning how to be a pro.
"He's learning that. It's not a finished product by any means, but he's trending in that direction, which is really cool to see. He's asking the right questions, he seems the tape, 'Hey, Coach, did you see this play?' and this and that. He's really engaged. The guy wants it," said Nielsen.
The challenge, Nielsen says, is continuing that with a different schedule and figuring out how to adjust and remain consistent from there.
"The routine's got to be the same, so he's done a good job. You've seen this week and last week, saw the step-up in his play. I think a lot of that is the time he's been putting into his craft," he added.
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Smith isn't expected to start right away. The Jaguars signed former 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead to take that role, but he will play plenty with Nielsen's constantly rotating defensive line.
During his freshman season at LSU, Smith accounted for five tackles for loss and four sacks through just nine games. The year was expected to be a glimpse into what he can bring to the table down the line.
Now with the Jaguars, which comes with consistent coaching and a regimented development cycle, he has the opportunity to do that. Being healthy doesn't hurt, either.
"Health-wise, I feel great. I'm a little bit heavy right now, I've got to lose a couple of pounds. But I feel great and like I said, it's the best I've felt since having my knee injured," Smith said.
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That's got to count for something.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Maason Smith's growth with Jacksonville Jaguars evident through camp
