Roster status: Active Role American football player Tackles: 10 Height 1.96 m | Quarterback sacks: 2.0 Weight 123 kg Name Preston Smith Positions Linebacker | |
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Date of birth: (1992-11-17) November 17, 1992 (age 23) High school: Stone Mountain (GA) Stephenson NFL draft: 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38 College Mississippi State Bulldogs football Profiles | ||
2015 player photoshoot preston smith
Preston Demarquis Smith (born November 17, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State University, and was drafted by the Redskins in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
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Early life
Smith attended Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He was rated as a two-star recruit by 247sports.com, and Scout.com, and a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. He chose to attend Mississippi State Bulldogs over offers from Kentucky, Syracuse, and West Virginia, among others.
College career
Smith appeared in 8 games as a true freshman in 2011 season, recording a forced fumble in a 31-3 win over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl. In 2012, Smith appeared in all 13 games and led the Bulldogs with 4.5 sacks. As a junior in 2013, Smith recorded 2.5 sacks, including 2.0 in a 59-26 loss to LSU.
Smith started the 2014 season with a bang, winning the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week Award in each of the first three weeks. Smith recorded an interception in the Bulldogs' 49-0 rout of Southern Miss, and returned another acrobatic, one-handed interception for a touchdown in the Bulldogs' win over UAB. Smith ended the season with 42 tackles, nine sacks, two interceptions and a touchdown.
At the end of his senior season, Smith was projected as a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft by CBS and NFL Draft Scout.
Professional career
Smith was chosen with the 38th pick overall in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. On May 11, 2015, he signed a four-year contract worth roughly $4.1 million. In the Week 16 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Smith was voted Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week after his career high of three sacks in the game. Smith finished the season with eight sacks, which led all rookies for the 2015 season, as well as posting a safety against Aaron Rodgers in the Wildcard playoff loss against the Green Bay Packers.
In March 2016, Smith was voted as one of the best under-25 players in the NFL. In a game against the Minnesota Vikings in November 2016, Smith had two sacks, along with his first career interception, helping the Redskins to a 26–20 win.
Due to a season-ending injury to Junior Galette in the 2016 preseason, Smith became the starting right outside linebacker at the start of season.