Chris Smith (defensive tackle)

Chris Smith
No. 90 – Detroit Lions
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1999-12-15) December 15, 1999[1]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:316 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Cranbrook Kingswood HS (MI)
College:Harvard (2018–2021)
Notre Dame (2022)
NFL draft:2023: undrafted
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Tackles:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Christopher Smith (born December 15, 1999)[1] is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Harvard Crimson and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Early life

Smith was born on December 15, 1999.[2] He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Cranbrook Kingswood High School.[3] In high school, he started all four years for the football team and was a four-time All-Catholic Football selection, two-time all-state selection and two-time team defensive player of the year.[4] He served as team captain as a senior in football and was chosen the team MVP; he also played three years for the basketball team and was team captain in that sport as a senior as well.[4] He committed to play college football for the Harvard Crimson.[4]

College career

Smith appeared in nine games for Harvard as a freshman in 2018, posting 11 tackles and a half-sack.[5] He then had 21 tackles, two tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games in the 2019 season; the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] In 2021, Smith was chosen first-team All-Ivy League after totaling 44 tackles, five TFLs and 3.5 sacks while starting all 10 games.[6]

Smith graduated from Harvard in 2021 with a degree in human evolutionary biology, but opted to remain in college for a final year, entering the NCAA transfer portal after the season.[6] He ended his tenure at Harvard having recorded 72 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in 29 games played.[6] He initially committed to transfer to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but later flipped his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.[7][8] With the Fighting Irish, Smith appeared in 13 games, five as a starter, and recorded 17 tackles with 0.5 TFLs and a forced fumble.[9]

Statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sack PD Int Yds TD FF FR TD
2018 Harvard 9 0 11 2 9 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019 Harvard 10 4 21 10 11 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2020 Harvard 0 0 No team – COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Harvard 10 10 40 13 27 3.5 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
2022 Notre Dame 13 5 17 10 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Career 42 19 89 35 54 5.5 0 0 0 0 3 1 0

Professional career

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 1+1⁄4 in
(1.86 m) 		302 lb
(137 kg) 		31+1⁄4 in
(0.79 m) 		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 5.08 s 1.76 s 2.94 s 4.60 s 7.25 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		 37 reps
All values from Pro Day[10]

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Smith signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent.[11] He was waived at the final roster cuts, on August 29, and then re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[12][13] He was released from the practice squad on September 20,[14] re-signed on December 13,[15] released on December 29,[16] and re-signed on January 14, 2024.[17] Following the 2023 season, in which he played no games,[2] Smith signed a reserve/future contract on January 30, 2024.[18]

Smith was released at the roster cuts for the 2024 season, on August 27, 2024, and was then re-signed to the practice squad a day later.[19][20] On September 7, he was signed to the active roster, one day prior to the team's Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams.[21] He made his NFL debut in the game, recording one tackle while appearing on eight defensive snaps.[2] On September 9, one day after the game, Smith was released by the Lions.[22][23] On September 11, he was re-signed to the practice squad.[24] He was promoted to the active roster on November 2. He was waived on December 23, and re-signed to the practice squad, making his Monday Night Football debut against the San Francisco 49ers on December 30.[25] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 20, 2025.[26]

NFL career statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck Sfty PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD
2024 DET 5 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 5 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ a b "Chris Smith". ourlads.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Chris Smith Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ Risdon, Jeff (May 20, 2023). "Lions UDFA profile: Notre Dame DT Chris Smith". USA Today.
  4. ^ a b c "Chris Smith". Harvard Crimson.
  5. ^ a b Farmer, Douglas (June 4, 2022). "Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 65 Chris Smith, defensive tackle, Harvard transfer". NBC Sports.
  6. ^ a b c Driskell, Bryan (April 6, 2022). "Notre Dame Lands Defensive Tackle Transfer Chris Smith". Sports Illustrated.
  7. ^ Fortuna, Matt (April 6, 2022). "Harvard transfer Chris Smith commits to Notre Dame". The Athletic. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Berardino, Mike (October 15, 2022). "'We're doing this together' — Jon Sot and Chris Smith make successful transition from Harvard to Notre Dame". NDInsider.com.
  9. ^ "Chris Smith". Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
  10. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Chris Smith College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Twentyman, Tim (May 12, 2023). "A closer look at the Lions' undrafted rookie free agents". Detroit Lions.
  12. ^ Rogers, Justin (August 29, 2023). "Who is in and who is out? Detroit Lions establish initial 53-man roster for 2023 season". The Detroit News.
  13. ^ Twentyman, Tim (August 30, 2023). "Breaking down the Lions' initial practice squad". Detroit Lions.
  14. ^ Twentyman, Tim (September 20, 2023). "NOTEBOOK: Lions hoping Gardner-Johnson can return in 2023". Detroit Lions.
  15. ^ "NFL news roundup: Latest league updates from Wednesday, Dec. 13". National Football League. December 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Bianchi, Nolan (December 29, 2023). "Lions waive longtime fullback, sign kicker to active roster". The Detroit News.
  17. ^ Risdon, Jeff (January 17, 2024). "Lions bring back DL to the practice squad". USA Today.
  18. ^ Rogers, Justin (January 30, 2024). "Lions announce the signing of 11 players to Reserve/Futures contracts". The Detroit News.
  19. ^ Lentz, Nick (August 27, 2024). "Detroit Lions trim roster ahead of 53-man roster deadline". CBS News.
  20. ^ Twentyman, Tim (August 28, 2024). "Breaking down the Lions' initial practice squad". Detroit Lions.
  21. ^ Maakaron, John (September 7, 2024). "Lions elevate Kennedy, Peko, sign DL Chris Smith to active roster". The Oakland Press.
  22. ^ Risdon, Jeff (September 10, 2024). "Lions waive defensive lineman they just signed to the active roster". USA Today.
  23. ^ Raven, Benjamin (September 9, 2024). "Detroit Lions waive defensive tackle they signed for Week 1". MLive.com.
  24. ^ Birkett, Dave (September 11, 2024). "Detroit Lions sign kicker Greg Joseph to practice squad, add Kyle Peko to 53-man roster". Detroit Free Press.
  25. ^ "Chris Smith - Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle". ESPN. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  26. ^ "Detroit Lions sign 11 players to futures contracts, 1 to active roster". Pride of Detroit. January 20, 2025.
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