Being a final-round draft choice can certainly lead to a player being ignored.
Washington defensive end James Smith-Williams has been one such player. No doubt many Commanders fans are really certain of his name, they don’t recall his jersey number and they certainly don’t know where he played his college ball.
It was funny when even head coach Ron Rivera once spoke of the defensive end as “James Williams-Smith.“ Smith-Williams is still only 25, turning 26 on July 30. He enters this season knowing it is a contract year for him.
What type of year did the former North Carolina State Wolfpack have for the Commanders in 2022? Check out this tweet for some perspective:
James Smith-Williams had 270 pass rush snaps in 2022. In those snaps he had 26 hurries, 26 hits, 14 knockdowns and 38 pressures.
Of all NFL EDGE's with 350 or less pass rushing attempts, only the 49ers Samson Ebukam(340 pass rush snaps) had better overall numbers(70 more attps)
— Mark Tyler(Hogs Haven) (@Tiller56) April 20, 2023
Number 96 gets lost by the fan base when he is playing with teammates such as Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat and Chase Young. But he is accustomed to this, as it occurred during his college days at NC State as well.
Nice stunt up front on 3rd and 6. James Smith-Williams comes free up the middle and wraps up Tannehill for a big loss pic.twitter.com/jcSfq9hlqn
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) October 9, 2022
Illinois defensive coordinator and former North Carolina State defensive coach, Aaron Henry a guest on the “Al Galdi Podcast,” Tuesday reminded listeners:
“What a lot of people forget is James Smith-Williams was behind Bradley Chubb, Kentavius Street, Justin Jones and B.J. Hill. All them dudes were drafted in the NFL. ”
“So, the fact that he was even a 7th rounder…we knew that young man was going to be special. His off-the-field philanthropy combined with his football ability, the sky was the limit.”
“He was absolutely everything you wanted in terms of building a program. Hard worker, great student, always on time, never any issues, a leader.”
“That young man will play however long he wants to in the NFL. That’s a quality, incredible pillar for the Washington Commanders.”
