Panthers traded up with the Commanders to select Penn State LB Brandon Smith with the No. 120 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Commanders also sent the No. 189 pick and acquired the No. 144 and 149 picks. Smith (6’3/250) earned third-team All-Big Ten honors after posting 81 tackles, nine TFLs, two sacks, and five breakups across 12 starts in 2021. Smith is a long-levered athletic marvel that ran a 4.52 forty at the Combine. He can go sideline to sideline and can with any tight end up the seam, but for a freight train, his game has a tentativeness. He’s an arm tackler who doesn’t come with his body, and he’s taken out of plays by offensive linemen who get their hands on him. If Smith can improve his instincts and fundamentals, he’ll be a steal. If not, he’s a Hummer that can’t leave the garage. His eval is very similar to Baron Browning’s.
