Braden Smith Considered Colts' 'Best-Kept Secret' By Bleacher Report

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Mar 19, 2019
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After being selected by the Colts with the No. 37-overall pick in 2018 to be the long-term right guard counterpart to left guard Quenton Nelson, a mess of injuries and other circumstances on the offensive line moved Smith to right tackle.


After Smith and Mark Glowinski looked great at right tackle and guard, respectively, the rest was history, and Smith was the team's new right tackle.


After that debut season, Smith was the third-highest-graded rookie offensive lineman (71.4), according to Pro Football Focus, trailing only Nelson (76.7) and fellow right tackle Mike McGlinchey (73.2) of the San Francisco 49ers.


After an entire offseason of training at right tackle rather than guard last year, Smith took another step forward and became a dominant run blocker.


In 2019, among all NFL offensive linemen, regardless of position, Smith ranked fifth in run blocking (86.4). Among all offensive tackles, he was seventh in overall grade (79.8), and among all right tackles, he ranked 12th in pass blocking (68.1).


According to PFF, in 2019, the Colts ran the ball 88 times behind Smith or to his outside for 483 yards (5.5 avg.), four touchdowns and 12 runs of 10-plus yards.


Smith was also one of only 12 offensive tackles to be flagged for five or fewer penalties.


Another strong point to Smith as a player is his durability, as he has only missed one snap since taking over as the Colts' right tackle in Week 5 of his rookie year.


One area in which Smith continues to work is pass protection, which might not be surprising considering his transition from college guard to now defending against the NFL's top edge rushers week in and week out at tackle; he's allowed 46 total quarterback pressures (30 hurries, nine hits, seven sacks), but continues to improve as a player in that aspect of his game.


So, what will it take for outsiders to start giving Smith the respect he deserves?


For starters, as Smith continues growing as a pass blocker, people will begin mentioning him a bit more among the league's better tackles, as his run blocking is already well above average.


Another factor will be if the Colts begin making the playoffs at a more consistent level, as it will put a light on more of their players, especially their established starters like Smith.


For now, however, Smith will keep his head down and keep getting better while national analysts begin to figure more out about him.
 
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