Sutton Smith should play Buck LB for the Steelers
By Tommy Jaggi
Sutton Smith was an exciting 6th round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019. Standing at just 6-feet on the dot and 233 pounds, Smith was a bite-sized edge rusher who produced in a big way.
At Northern Illinois, Smith shattered records despite his tiny frame. Though his body type doesn’t fit the typical profile of what it takes to be a good edge defender, Smith stood out on film – game after game.
Pro Football Focus Steelers shared some of Smith’s production in a recent tweet:
Sutton Smith grossly outpaced all other edge rushers in the nation over the past two seasons, though he wasn’t drafted as high as any player mentioned on this list.
But can Sutton Smith hold up on the edge in the NFL?
We have seen small-stature players succeed before. James Harrison (6’0” and 242 lbs) was one of them. However, for every outlier player that succeeds, there are a couple dozen more that don’t.
Pro Football Focus suggests that Smith’s best position in the NFL might be as an off-the-ball linebacker. PFF had this to say about Sutton Smith following the NFL Draft:
"Likely too small to play edge defender at the next level, the 6-foot, 233-pound Sutton Smith should make the transition to off-ball linebacker and bring pass-rush upside in the NFL. He recorded 65 total pressures as an edge defender with Northern Illinois in 2018, good for the second-most pressures in the FBS. He finished the pre-draft process ranked 199th in the class."
This wouldn’t be the first time we have seen the Steelers make this transition. Lawrence Timmons – a former 1st round draft choice who played 10 seasons at inside linebacker for the Steelers – made the same move early in his career. Though Timmons played with his hand in the dirt at Florida State, he became a staple to their defense at inside linebacker.
Sutton Smith would be an excellent candidate to play buck linebacker (the same position Vince Williams current starts at). Unlike the Mack linebacker position (that will undoubtedly be occupied by Devin Bush for years to come), the Buck LB plays an entirely different role.
At Buck, Smith would often be asked to go down hill against the run, and rush the quarterback from the inside. Though some coverage skills are required, Smith should fit well into this role after he gets it down.
We don’t know exactly how the Steelers plan to use Sutton Smith in the NFL. However, we obviously want to see the former college standout succeed. If that means moving him inside to backup Vince Williams at Buck linebacker, than that’s what they should do.