NY Giants draft Elerson Smith: The good, the bad, the grade

AMES, IA - AUGUST 31: Defensive lineman Elerson Smith #16 of the Northern Iowa Panthers tackles running back Breece Hall #28 of the Iowa State Cyclones as he rushed for yards in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 29-26 over the Northern Iowa Panthers in triple overtime. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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Defensive Lineman Elerson Smith #47 from Northern Iowa (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

The bad:

While Smith’s athletic prowess is a positive, his weaknesses are his average strength and that he occasionally gets ‘annihilated’ at the point of attack. There are also questions about his ability against the run, which he didn’t do well against in 2019.

His long layoff and competition concerns due to playing an FCS schedule also became negatives for teams. Before getting to UNI, Smith was barely even considered by teams in the Power 5 – even with his athletic abilities consistently on display in high school.

He’s continually outplayed his expectations, and now the Giants hope he’ll do the same for them. Smith even showed his commitment to improving his game by showing up to the Senior Bowl with his aforementioned physical improvements – quelling some concerns about his size.

How it affects his game remains to be seen, but if he can balance it with the skill he already possesses in getting to the quarterback, Smith will be a problem for opposing offensive coordinators.

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