2018 NFL Draft Profile: Defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood

Tashon Smallwood’s career at Arizona State came to a close in November. Now, it seems he will have to wait a bit for his next chapter to begin.

As Day Two of the 2018 NFL Draft will get underway on Friday afternoon, defensive tackle Tashon Smallwood likely will not hear from any of the league’s 32 teams until after the draft on Saturday.

Standing at 6 feet even and weighing 279 pounds, an initial concern when Smallwood arrived in Tempe was his size. However, those measurements stack up admirably with some of the top 4-3 defensive tackles in the NFL.

The staggering difference is athleticism.

Smallwood ran a 5.37 in the 40-yard dash and recorded 18 repetitions of 225 pounds on bench press. In a 4-3 defense, he is too small to play nose tackle and is slower than most three-technique tackles.

By comparison, Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins is a three tech as well. Not only is Atkins larger (6-foot-1, 300 pounds), but his physical tools are far superior.

At the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, Atkins posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.75 seconds and recorded 34 repetitions on the bench press.

With ASU, Smallwood’s role somewhat mirrored a hybrid of a nosetackle and three tech. Although he lined up more often as a nose tackle, Smallwood absorbed double teams, was efficient against the run and pressured the quarterback on pass plays as a three tech would.

In four years, Smallwood accumulated 131 total tackles which includes 31 tackles for loss in addition to 10.5 sacks. As a senior, he ranked seventh nationally among all defensive tackles with 32 quarterback pressures.

Though his statistics don’t jump off the page, Smallwood’s impact goes beyond numbers.

He started in 45 consecutive games, the second most all-time in program history and emerged as the anchor of the defensive line.

Next: 2018 NFL Draft Profile: Linebacker D.J. Calhoun

While Smallwood is not expected to be drafted, he will likely be signed following the conclusion of the draft.