In his final two seasons at Northern Illinois, Sutton Smith recorded 29 sacks as a defensive end.
He did it mostly against other talent in the MAC, but don't let that fool you. Smith was often at his best when the big lights came on.
In 2017, for example, he had six tackles, including five for a loss, and a sack against Boston College. Then, there was a six-tackle, four for a loss, two-sack game against Nebraska.
He followed that up in 2018 with 17 tackles and four combined sacks in games against Iowa (Big Ten), Utah (Pac-12) and Florida State (ACC).
Despite being a small guy from a small school, Smith played at his best on the big stage.
"When you get up to these so-called higher schools, those are just labels," Smith told me Saturday, as the Steelers wrapped up the second day of their rookie minicamp. "At the end of the day, everyone is equal. It’s just who's going to come out on top? Just because he’s got a sticker on the side of his helmet that says Iowa, it doesn’t mean anything to me. Is he going to be able to stop me when I come off the ball?
"That was my mentality. I didn’t want people to be intimidated. That’s where some people, they’re either motivated or intimidated when they play those schools. I was one of the players who was motivated. I would tell myself, ‘This is a big stage. My MAC games in the middle of the week are on ESPN3. Now, this one is for the world to see.' My whole team was just excited for those moments."
Size, whether it be his school or his own body, has never been a detriment to Smith.
That mentality could serve Smith well as he makes the transition to the NFL. The Steelers selected the pass-rushing specialist in the sixth round of the draft two weeks ago with the idea of moving him to outside linebacker.
It's a transition they've done dozens of times with undersized college defensive ends, making stars out of the likes of Greg Lloyd, Joey Porter, LaMarr Woodley, James Harrison and others.
But outside of Lloyd, who played in the 230-pound range, most of the other players the Steelers transitioned to outside linebacker were around 250 pounds or bigger. Smith is listed at 6-foot-1, 237 pounds. He could be asked to put on some weight -- though he said the Steelers haven't yet spoken with him about that.
Putting weight on, however, isn't something new for Smith. He arrived on campus at Northern Illinois as a 195-pound running back but was swiftly moved to linebacker.
"Quickly after that — I hardly had any time at linebacker — and then I got moved to d-line when they saw I could pass rush," Smith said. "I said, ‘OK, time to put some more weight on.’"
He didn't just rush the passer. He often caught him. In fact, he did so 29 times in his final two seasons, recording 14 sacks along with 30 tackles for a loss as a redshirt sophomore, and 15 sacks and 26.5 tackles for a loss in 2018 as a redshirt junior.
Smith spent more time in the backfield than everyone but the referee.
"Basically, I knew the playbook inside and out and that meant I could play as fast as I could because I knew what was going on," Smith said. "I could see a team and know what their tendencies are, know what the tackle sets are. It would all give me indications of run, pass, draw, things like that. I’ve just got to keep studying and know the playbook and get going."
That's another thing that should play well at the NFL level. Not only is talent needed, but the ability to digest a playbook quickly and learn from film study are paramount to success.
After that breakout sophomore season, following which he won the first of back-to-back MAC Defensive Player of the Year awards, Smith began thinking about the NFL. He also saw an increase in attention from opponents.
"Whenever I had that breakout season, I knew I could make the steps to get (to the NFL)," Smith said. "Then, 2018 came and I put on some weight and knew that everything they threw at me — the other teams threw every possible kind of blocking scheme at me — I still was able to produce. After that season, I was really confident I could come up here and play at the NFL level, especially on special teams. That’s my goal, to get on special teams and show what I can do on there. Then, I’ll work my way into the defense."
That's the plan, at least for now. The Steelers are using Smith at outside linebacker with the possibility that he might perhaps move inside at some point.
But guys who produce 29 sacks in two college seasons, regardless of competition, are going to get a shot at rushing the passer -- and playing special teams.
"He's probably going to help (special teams coordinator) Danny Smith more than he helps me, early," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. "The way linebackers make NFL teams is they come in and make themselves very valuable on special teams and build themselves another year to try and learn what's going on with the defense. Once they do that, then they compete for starting jobs. You know what the NFL does, people get older, you always have to have a constant, a sea of competition coming in behind guys, which is what we want."
It's happened before. Heck, it's happened with the Steelers a lot. They've been a team that has not only developed outside linebackers, they've had success doing so with small-school players.
Smith is well aware of that reputation, ticking off the names of former MAC stars such as Harrison, Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger as motivation. He'd like to be next in that line of stars.
"Everybody just needs that chance, no matter where you come from," Smith said. "It’s what you do with that which really sets people apart.
"This team has some MAC talent on it, especially future Hall of Famers. I just hope I can get up there and be one of those guys too. A lot of work comes with that. I’m ready for the load."
DALE'S VIEW
There's a lot to like about Smith, starting with his production and mentality.
He's also bigger than you'd think. In fact, he looks like a much bigger man in pads. When you bring it all together, this is a guy who could be one to keep a close eye on at training camp and in the preseason.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Steelers rookie camp, Rooney Sports Complex, May 11, 2019 - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS
