Will Smith (American football)
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Smith with the Saints in 2012
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| No. 91 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | July 4, 1981 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Queens, New York | ||||||||
| Date of death: | April 9, 2016 (aged 34) | ||||||||
| Place of death: | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 283 lb (128 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Utica (NY) Proctor | ||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Tackles: | 457 |
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| Sacks: | 67.5 |
| Interceptions: | 2 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
William Raymond Smith III (July 4, 1981 – April 9, 2016) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. Smith was shot and killed during an altercation after an alcohol related traffic accident.
Smith was born on the Fourth of July in Queens, New York, to William and Lisa Smith. He was raised in Utica, New York. At Proctor High School in Utica, Smith was a USA Today All-American pick, and was rated by Prep Football Report as the best defensive line prospect in the state. As a senior, he had 20 sacks.
Smith was a four-year letterman at Ohio State from 2000 to 2003, he helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2002 BCS National Championship, and he was named a first-team All-American the following year.
Smith was selected as the 18th pick in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He had a successful rookie season with 30 tackles and 7.5 sacks. In 2005, he had 48 tackles and 8.5 sacks and played well enough that the Saints did not re-sign Darren Howard thus making Smith the starter opposite Charles Grant for the 2006 season. Smith gradually established himself as one of the premier defensive ends in the NFL. In his first season as a full-time starter, Smith became a leader of the defensive line and emerged as one of the NFL’s top defensive ends. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and finished tied for 14th in the NFL with a career-best 10.5 sacks. Smith played in 14 games, sitting out the finale with the Saints having clinched a playoff berth and also missing one contest with a knee injury. The club’s No. 1 pick in 2004 was a force from his arrival in New Orleans, notching 33.5 sacks in four seasons. His 26.0 sacks in his first three-season are the second-most in club history in so short a span (Charles Grant, 27.5, 2002–04).
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