Dawuane Smoot

Dawuane Smoot
refer to caption
Smoot with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022
No. 94 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-02) March 2, 1995 (age 29)
Groveport, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
High school:Groveport Madison
(Groveport, Ohio)
College:Illinois (2013–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / round: 3 / pick: 68
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:133
Sacks:23.5
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dawuane "D.J." Smoot (born March 2, 1995) is an American professional football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois.

Early life

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Smoot attended Groveport Madison High School in Groveport, Ohio. During his high school career, he had 260 tackles and 30 sacks. He committed to the University of Illinois to play college football.[1]

College career

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Smoot played in seven games as a true freshman at Illinois in 2013, recording eight tackles and one sack. As a sophomore in 2014 he played in all 13 games and had 33 tackles and 2.5 sacks.[2] As a junior in 2015 he started all 12 games, recording 40 tackles, eight sacks and three forced fumbles.[3][4][5] On November 29, 2016, Smoot was named Third-team All-Big Ten Conference by the coaches and media.[6]

Professional career

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Smoot contemplated leaving Illinois after his junior season and received a second round grade for the 2016 NFL draft from the NFL advisory board. He decided to stay for his senior year and was the 24th overall prospect on Todd McShay's big board heading into 2017.[7] He received an invitation to the 2017 Senior Bowl and practiced well throughout the week. He played defensive end for the North, but was held without a tackle as the North were defeated 16-15 by the South.[8] Smoot attended the NFL Combine and completed most of the combine and positional drills, but decided not to perform the bench press. He also participated at Illinois' Pro Day and chose to perform the bench and have another attempt at the vertical.[9] NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be selected in the third or fourth round.[10] He was ranked the 15th best defensive end available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 3+1⁄8 in
(1.91 m) 		264 lb
(120 kg) 		33+1⁄4 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.77 s 1.68 s 2.78 s 4.39 s 7.18 s 29.5 in
(0.75 m)		 9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)		 21 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Illinois' Pro Day[10][9][11]

Jacksonville Jaguars

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Smoot was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the third round (68th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[12] Smoot made the Jaguars team and played in all 16 regular season games, as well as Jacksonville's three playoff games.

In week 3 of the 2019 season, Smoot recorded his first two career sacks on Marcus Mariota in the 20–7 win.[13]

Smoot signed a two-year, $10 million contract extension with the Jaguars on March 16, 2021.[14]

On July 21, 2023, after spending four months without a team, the Jaguars re-signed Smoot, who had been rehabbing an Achilles tendon injury he suffered late in the 2022 season.[15] He was placed on the reserve/PUP list to start the 2023 season. He was activated from the PUP list on October 14, 2023.[16]

Buffalo Bills

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On May 3, 2024, Smoot signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills.[17]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sack Sfty Int Yds Lng TD PD FF FR Yds TD
2017 JAX 16 0 20 14 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2018 JAX 8 0 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 JAX 16 0 17 12 5 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
2020 JAX 16 7 25 21 4 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
2021 JAX 16 10 36 22 14 6.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0
2022 JAX 15 0 21 14 7 5.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0
2023 JAX 12 0 10 8 2 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 99 17 133 94 39 23.5 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 2 0 0
Postseason statistics
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2017 JAX 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Personal life

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On October 19, 2021, Smoot helped his wife Aumari deliver the couple's second child at home, after she fell on the way to the hospital. The couple has a two-year old son, Ahmir.[18]

References

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  1. ^ Figueroa, Joey (July 24, 2016). "Smoot an 'underdog' unleashed". The News-Gazette. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Daniels, Matt (July 25, 2015). "Best of Illini: No. 15, Dawuane Smoot". The News-Gazette. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  3. ^ Tupper, Mark (July 9, 2016). "Tupper: Smoot aims to realize first-round potential under Lovie". Pantagraph.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Ryan, Shannon (August 5, 2016). "Illinois' Dawuane Smoot goes from under the radar onto NFL draft boards". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  5. ^ Bennett, Brian (April 27, 2016). "Dawuane Smoot hurdling toward stardom for Illinois defense". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  6. ^ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  7. ^ Matt Miller (January 25, 2017). "Senior Bowl 2017: Matt Miller's Top 25 Prospects". bleacgerreport.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ "Phillips, Smoot Impress at Senior Bowl Practices". fightingillini.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "Dawuane Smoot, DS #15 DE, Illinois". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Dawuane Smoot Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  11. ^ "Dawuane Smoot 2017 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Oehser, John (April 28, 2017). "No. 68 overall: Jaguars select DE Dawuane Smoot". Jaguars.com.
  13. ^ "Minshew, defense shine as Jaguars thump Titans 20-7". ESPN. September 19, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  14. ^ "Jaguars Re-sign Defensive Lineman Dawuane Smoot". Jaguars.com. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Re-Sign Dawuane Smoot". Jaguars.com. July 21, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  16. ^ "Roster Moves: Jaguars Activate OLB Dawuane Smoot". Jaguars.com. October 14, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  17. ^ White, Alec; Glab, Maddy (May 3, 2024). "Bills announce three free agent signings to one-year deals". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  18. ^ DiRocco, Michael (October 19, 2021). "Jacksonville Jaguars' Dawuane Smoot helps wife deliver baby girl at home". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
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