2021 NFL Draft: UNI EDGE Elerson Smith the next big FCS sleeper?
By Cory Kinnan
Elerson Smith looks to be the next dominant FCS defender
In a deep pass rush class in the 2021 NFL Draft, it is easy to push FCS prospects to the backburner; this will especially be the case this season when FCS schools did not suit up this fall for the most part. However, as the saying goes, “if you can play, the NFL will find you.” Northern Iowa pass rusher Elerson Smith can play.
While he will not be mistaken for Georgia’s frightening pass rusher Azeez Ojulari or Michigan’s athletic defensive end Kwity Paye, Smith deserves the attention in his own regard. Forced to opt out of the season and declare for the draft after UNI pushed their season back to the spring, Smith is not a household name, but he may become one over the coming months.
Looking at the box score
Smith is coming off of a massive season for the Panthers of Northern Iowa, a year where he led the FCS in sacks. In 2019 as a redshirt junior, which would turn into his last year after he was forced to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft instead of playing in the spring, Smith racked up an astounding 14 sacks on the season.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and reportedly bulking up from the 245 pounds he played at a year ago, Smith brings a high upside to the NFL despite his standing as an FCS prospect. What does he bring to the next level? We break that down here in this scouting report on the massive Northern Iowa pass rusher.