Chris Smith (defensive tackle)

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Chris Smith
Profile
Position Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born (1999-12-15) December 15, 1999 (age 25) [1]
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight316 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school Cranbrook Kingswood HS (MI)
College Harvard (2018–2021)
Notre Dame (2022)
NFL draft 2023: undrafted
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Tackles 2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Christopher Smith (born December 15, 1999) [1] is an American professional football defensive tackle. He played college football for the Harvard Crimson and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Contents

Early life

Smith was born on December 15, 1999. [2] He grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and attended Cranbrook Kingswood High School. [3] In high school, he started all four years for the football team and was a four-time All-Catholic Football selection, two-time all-state selection and two-time team defensive player of the year. [4] He served as team captain as a senior in football and was chosen the team MVP; he also played three years for the basketball team and was team captain in that sport as a senior as well. [4] He committed to play college football for the Harvard Crimson. [4]

College career

Smith appeared in nine games for Harvard as a freshman in 2018, posting 11 tackles and a half-sack. [5] He then had 21 tackles, two tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 1.5 sacks while appearing in 10 games in the 2019 season; the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [5] In 2021, Smith was chosen first-team All-Ivy League after totaling 44 tackles, five TFLs and 3.5 sacks while starting all 10 games. [6]

Smith graduated from Harvard in 2021 with a degree in human evolutionary biology, but opted to remain in college for a final year, entering the NCAA transfer portal after the season. [6] He ended his tenure at Harvard having recorded 72 tackles, 7.5 TFLs and 5.5 sacks in 29 games played. [6] He initially committed to transfer to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, but later flipped his commitment to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. [7] [8] With the Fighting Irish, Smith appeared in 13 games, five as a starter, and recorded 17 tackles with 0.5 TFLs and a forced fumble. [9]

Statistics

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSTotalSoloAstSackPDIntYdsTDFFFRTD
2018 Harvard 9011290.50000000
2019 Harvard 1042110111.50000010
2020 Harvard 00No team – COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Harvard 10104013273.50000200
2022 Notre Dame 135171070.00000100
Career42198935545.50000310

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄4 in
(1.86 m)		302 lb
(137 kg)		31+1⁄4 in
(0.79 m)		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		5.08 s1.76 s2.94 s4.60 s7.25 s31 in
(0.79 m)		9 ft 1 in
(2.77 m)		37 reps
All values from Pro Day [10]

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Smith signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. [11] He was waived at the final roster cuts, on August 29, and then re-signed to the practice squad the following day. [12] [13] He was released from the practice squad on September 20, [14] re-signed on December 13, [15] released on December 29, [16] and re-signed on January 14, 2024. [17] Following the 2023 season, in which he played no games, [2] Smith signed a reserve/future contract on January 30, 2024. [18]

Smith was released at the roster cuts for the 2024 season, on August 27, 2024, and was then re-signed to the practice squad a day later. [19] [20] On September 7, he was signed to the active roster, one day prior to the team's Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams. [21] He made his NFL debut in the game, recording one tackle while appearing on eight defensive snaps. [2] On September 9, one day after the game, Smith was released by the Lions. [22] [23] On September 11, he was re-signed to the practice squad. [24] He was promoted to the active roster on November 2. He was waived on December 23, and re-signed to the practice squad, making his Monday Night Football debut against the San Francisco 49ers on December 30. [25] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 20, 2025. [26]

On October 11, 2025, Smith was waived by the Lions. [27]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
GPGSTotalSoloAstSckSftyPDIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFRTD
2024 DET 502020.000000.000000
Career502020.000000.000000

References

  1. 1 2 "Chris Smith". ourlads.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "Chris Smith Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  3. ↑ Risdon, Jeff (May 20, 2023). "Lions UDFA profile: Notre Dame DT Chris Smith". USA Today .
  4. 1 2 3 "Chris Smith". Harvard Crimson.
  5. 1 2 Farmer, Douglas (June 4, 2022). "Notre Dame 99-to-0: No. 65 Chris Smith, defensive tackle, Harvard transfer". NBC Sports.
  6. 1 2 3 Driskell, Bryan (April 6, 2022). "Notre Dame Lands Defensive Tackle Transfer Chris Smith". Sports Illustrated .
  7. ↑ Fortuna, Matt (April 6, 2022). "Harvard transfer Chris Smith commits to Notre Dame". The Athletic . Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ Berardino, Mike (October 15, 2022). "'We're doing this together' — Jon Sot and Chris Smith make successful transition from Harvard to Notre Dame". NDInsider.com.
  9. ↑ "Chris Smith". Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
  10. ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Chris Smith College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
  11. ↑ Twentyman, Tim (May 12, 2023). "A closer look at the Lions' undrafted rookie free agents". Detroit Lions.
  12. ↑ Rogers, Justin (August 29, 2023). "Who is in and who is out? Detroit Lions establish initial 53-man roster for 2023 season". The Detroit News .
  13. ↑ Twentyman, Tim (August 30, 2023). "Breaking down the Lions' initial practice squad". Detroit Lions.
  14. ↑ Twentyman, Tim (September 20, 2023). "NOTEBOOK: Lions hoping Gardner-Johnson can return in 2023". Detroit Lions.
  15. ↑ "NFL news roundup: Latest league updates from Wednesday, Dec. 13". National Football League. December 13, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bianchi, Nolan (December 29, 2023). "Lions waive longtime fullback, sign kicker to active roster". The Detroit News .
  17. ↑ Risdon, Jeff (January 17, 2024). "Lions bring back DL to the practice squad". USA Today .
  18. ↑ Rogers, Justin (January 30, 2024). "Lions announce the signing of 11 players to Reserve/Futures contracts". The Detroit News .
  19. ↑ Lentz, Nick (August 27, 2024). "Detroit Lions trim roster ahead of 53-man roster deadline". CBS News.
  20. ↑ Twentyman, Tim (August 28, 2024). "Breaking down the Lions' initial practice squad". Detroit Lions.
  21. ↑ Maakaron, John (September 7, 2024). "Lions elevate Kennedy, Peko, sign DL Chris Smith to active roster". The Oakland Press .
  22. ↑ Risdon, Jeff (September 10, 2024). "Lions waive defensive lineman they just signed to the active roster". USA Today .
  23. ↑ Raven, Benjamin (September 9, 2024). "Detroit Lions waive defensive tackle they signed for Week 1". MLive.com .
  24. ↑ Birkett, Dave (September 11, 2024). "Detroit Lions sign kicker Greg Joseph to practice squad, add Kyle Peko to 53-man roster". Detroit Free Press .
  25. ↑ "Chris Smith - Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle". ESPN. Retrieved December 31, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Detroit Lions sign 11 players to futures contracts, 1 to active roster". Pride of Detroit. January 20, 2025.
  27. ↑ Risdon, Jeff. "Lions roster moves: Injuries force some major scrambling ahead of Week 6". Lions Wire. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
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