Tulane Football’s Tanzel Smart Shines, Puts Skills on Display at NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS – When former Tulane football standout Tanzel Smart was selected to take part in the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 28-March 6 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, it was an opportunity to showcase his skills and assert himself as one of the top defensive players in this year’s NFL Draft.

In front of NFL coaches, general managers, scouts and members of the national media, Smart lived up to the billing.

Smart, whose standout career at Tulane and head-turning performance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 in Mobile, Ala., earned him an invite to the Combine, completed the 40-yard dash in 5.24 seconds, recorded 22 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press and leaped 27.0 inches and 105.0 inches in the vertical jump and broad jump, respectively. Smart also ran the three-cone drill in 7.53 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.57 seconds.

“It was a blessing to have an opportunity to participate in the Combine with all the top college players in the nation,” said Smart. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance and I was happy with my performance.”

Smart valued the Combine’s weigh-in measurements and interview process, which gave him an opportunity to sit down with coaches, general managers and scouts to discuss his background, measurables, technique and draft stock. Smart said he met with personnel from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns.

“[The measurements] are a bit unnerving when you walk on the stage and look at all these people – scouts, coaches, media –  assessing you, but it’s part of the draft process and I’ve become comfortable and confident with it,” said Smart. “Coaches said they liked my high energy, pad level and quickness. They were really impressed that I don’t take any plays off.”

Smart’s participation in the Combine came on the heels of his impressive Senior Bowl, where he started at defensive tackle and recorded two tackles, while playing in all four quarters for the victorious South Team. Smart was praised for his high energy, good body positioning and consistent levels of high production throughout his college career in post-Senior Bowl and pre-Combine analysis.

“Excited to play football on every single rep,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “Times up snap and is quick into the neutral zone. Always searching for the ball. Uses hand quickness to disengage and tackle on time. Good football instincts and quick to recognize and react to screens…. Fills a stat sheet up against both run and pass. Feet and hands are a whirlwind of action that never stop looking for improved positioning.”

Pro Football Focus draft analyst John Breitenbach also praised Smart’s “quickness off the ball” and his “low center of gravity which helps him punish blockers with the bull rush.”

Smart, who finished as a two-time, first-team selection by the American Athletic Conference and Louisiana Sports Writers Association in 2015 and 2016, credits coaching and mentorship as two important components of his preparedness to play on the professional level.

“[Former Tulane football head coach] Curtis Johnson was a real great mentor and coach,” said Smart. “[Johnson] came from the NFL, so he brought that mentality and attitude to our program and coached us as if we were on that level, which was a great experience. [Coach Fritz] preached structure and organization: being on time, taking care of your academics, treating your body well and all that stuff. [Fritz] made sure I paid attention to all the little details and his leadership has really prepared me for the NFL.”

While Smart used his quickness and instincts to tally 190 total tackles in his four seasons at Tulane, including 40.5 tackles for loss with three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, he understands that his technique and frame, which is criticized for lacking desired size and length, need continual fine-tuning for him to reach his potential as an NFL playmaker.

“Tulane’s Pro Day is April 7, so I’m continuing on the same preparation grind that I was on for the Senior Bowl and the Combine,” said Smart. “I’ve been training with a strength and conditioning coach who spent time with the New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots for a couple seasons and it’s been important for my transition to the next level of football.”

The 2017 NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 in Philadelphia.