Jared Smith

Physical Profile

Smith carries one of the biggest frames in the 2026 offensive line class, listed between 6-4 and 6-5 and tipping the scales at 325-330-plus pounds, with a reported wingspan approaching 6-10. That length is unusual for an interior projection and gives him first-contact advantages most guards never enjoy. The mass is functional rather than sloppy — he uses it to engulf defenders at the point of attack — but at 330-plus he is near the ceiling of playable weight, and body-composition management will be a defining variable in whether he maximizes the frame.

Play Style

Smith is a people-mover with a genuine finisher's temperament. On film he plays with a mauler's mentality — he wants to strike, latch, and drive defenders through the echo of the whistle, and his combination of mass and length lets him wall off entire gaps in the run game. He is at his best firing off the ball on down blocks, doubles, and short pulls where his power arrives before defenders can leverage him. In pass protection he anchors easily against bull rushes; speed and counters across his face are where he has to win with technique rather than tonnage.

Strengths

• Elite raw power and striking ability at contact — his punch displaces defensive linemen and he consistently engulfs and buries opponents once latched, the trait that made him OL MVP of the Under Armour Next camp in Atlanta
• Rare length for an interior projection (wingspan reported near 6-10), letting him land first and keep rushers off his chest even when his feet are late
• Verified performer against elite competition — he raised his stock dominating camp settings against ranked defensive linemen rather than padding tape against overmatched opponents, and held up at left tackle in Georgia's AAAA classification

Areas to Improve

• Lateral agility and recovery quickness — at 330-plus pounds he can be threatened by quick-twitch interior rushers and cross-face moves, which is precisely why evaluators project him inside despite high school tackle reps
• Weight and conditioning management — sustaining a 300-315-pound playing weight range with better stamina will determine whether he is a two-down mauler or an every-down starter
• Pass-protection technique refinement — hand timing and independent hands, as his high school success leaned heavily on overwhelming size that won't carry the same margin against Big Ten interior rushers

College Projection

Smith projects as an interior starter at Rutgers with a realistic redshirt-or-rotational first year while he recalibrates his body for the college level, followed by a push for the starting lineup by Year 2 or 3. His floor is high — power and mass like his translate immediately in short-yardage packages — and Rutgers' physical, run-centric identity under Greg Schiano is a natural home for his skill set. Expect a multi-year starter at guard with All-Big-Ten upside if the conditioning piece comes together.

NFL Outlook

Smith has legitimate NFL draft trajectory as a power-scheme guard. His length, anchor, and finishing demeanor are pro-caliber traits, and interior linemen with near-6-10 wingspans are scarce commodities at every level. The path runs through body management and pass-pro polish: if he plays in the 315-320 range with improved lateral quickness, he profiles as a Day 3 selection with Day 2 upside after three-plus years of Big Ten starts. If the weight stays north of 330, he risks being typecast as a run-game specialist.

Best Fit

A downhill, gap/duo-heavy run scheme that asks him to displace defenders on angles rather than reach-block laterally in wide zone. Rutgers is an on-paper match — a physical Big Ten program that builds its identity through the interior run game and will give him a developmental runway. Any offense that features power, counter, and short pulls maximizes him; a pure outside-zone system that demands range in space would minimize his best traits.