NFL Draft Countdown - Reggie Smith Interview

Reggie Smith Interview
April 14, 2008

They say the more you can do the more valuable you are and if that truly is the case then Oklahoma's Reggie Smith will be in high-demand on Draft Day. Whether he was playing safety, corner or seeing action as a return man Smith made a big impact for the Sooners. Reggie was recently kind enough to take a few minutes out of his busy schedule to speak with NFLDC's Scott Wright.

Scott Wright: You suffered a toe injury late in the '07 season. What was the exact nature of that injury and where are you at health-wise now?

Reggie Smith: At the end of the season I broke my big right toe and it took about three months for it to fully heal.

     Right now I am pretty much all the way back.

Scott Wright: Is it anything that might affect you long-term?

Reggie Smith: I went to the Combine for a re-check and I was told that it looked like it was an old injury I had for a while and I guess they just said I kind of re-aggravated it. It’s fine now though so I’m not really worried about it.

Scott Wright: Much has been made about the controversial workout on April 9 that featured you and Malcolm Kelly. What are your thoughts on the whole situation in terms of the running surface and how do you feel you did?

Reggie Smith: I think I did well overall. Like you said there was a big controversy and I can see why Malcolm was mad because he was told before he’d be running on a different surface and when he got there they changed it. I can see why he was frustrated. It was just a real bad situation I think but, I mean, it is what it is and the times are what they’re going to be. In my heart I know from past experiences that we’ve never run that slow on that surface so it’s just kind of strange we ran a tenth slower. I’ve run a 4.4 on it before and Malcolm’s run at least a 4.5 or something like that so it’s strange. I’m not really worrying about it and hopefully things work out.

Scott Wright: You played safety as a freshman and sophomore and then moved to cornerback as a junior. Based on your meetings with teams where do you think you will end up in the NFL?

Reggie Smith: It just depends. Some teams think I’ll be a better corner and some teams think I’ll be a better safety. I’m hearing both. It will just be wherever I fit in best on the team.

Scott Wright: Which position do you prefer?

Reggie Smith: When I first got to OU I strictly wanted to play safety because that was all I had played in high school and growing up. Once I actually did play corner I kind of started growing fond of it so if you asked me now I’d probably like playing corner better than safety but I can do both.

Scott Wright: What would you say is your greatest strength as a football player and what area do you need to work on?

Reggie Smith: Like I’ve been saying this whole time my biggest strength is probably my versatility. I can play corner, the nickel back position if needed, or safety. I think I can help out a lot in any situation. I think I need to work on some of my corner skills because I haven’t played that as much as I’ve played safety.

Scott Wright: What current NFL defensive back do you most admire and who do you think you compare favorably to?

Reggie Smith: Most admire. Let me think… I recently started watching Terence Newman from the Cowboys. He’s a real good defender, real fast and makes a lot of plays. The comparison I’ve been hearing for me for a while is Marlin Jackson. I looked it up on the internet and I guess he played kind of safety and corner in college so that looks like a pretty fair comparison.

Scott Wright: What is your greatest football moment to date?

Reggie Smith: Either going to the state championship in high school or winning back-to-back Big 12 Championship games.

Scott Wright: Who is the best player you have faced during your career?

Reggie Smith: Probably Vince Young. He’s amazing.

Scott Wright: Is there one younger player at Oklahoma that you see developing into a star, either at the college or pro level?

Reggie Smith: Can I say two? DeMarco Murray at running back and Jermaine Gresham the tight end.

Scott Wright: Who was your favorite college or pro team growing up? Did you have a favorite player?

Reggie Smith: I really didn’t have a favorite college team growing up, I just watched the games a lot. OU, OSU, I didn’t really care I just wanted to watch the games. I did kind of like the Falcons when Jamal Anderson was there and they were the “Dirty Birds” and whatnot. My favorite player right now is probably Reggie Bush.

Scott Wright: What current pro are you most looking forward to going up against in the NFL?

Reggie Smith: Randy Moss or T.O.

     They’re great challenges and great athletes.

Scott Wright: At what point did you realize that you might have a future in football beyond college?

Reggie Smith: Probably my freshman year in college. I had the opportunity to start pretty much after the third game of my freshman year and I think it’s pretty rare for a freshman to start at the safety position at a major college like that.

Scott Wright: What do you plan to do once your playing career is over?

Reggie Smith: I would like to coach, I think, or go back and do something in the business area like accounting. My dad is an accountant so I think something in that area might be something I’d like to do.

Scott Wright: When you get your first professional paycheck what is the first thing you will buy?

Reggie Smith: Probably just a nice little house or apartment wherever I’m going to be staying. I’m not real big on buying a whole much of stuff because I’m a real stingy, tightwad type of person.

Scott Wright: What’s the most embarrassing song on your iPod?

Reggie Smith: I can’t think of the name of it but I have an Avril Lavigne song on my iPod.

Scott Wright: Do you have any goals in mind when it comes to the NFL Draft (i.e. Round 1, Round 2, etc.)?

Reggie Smith: Everyone dreams of going in the first round so that’s kind of my goal. It’s a long road to make it there I just hope I can get in the first round and if not the second.

Scott Wright: Is there one or two teams in particular that you’ve noticed paying more attention to you than others?

Reggie Smith: I really don’t know… I’ve been hearing a lot of stuff, I mean, I’ve heard Dallas and that would be fine with me.

     I’ve only visited Buffalo so far but I go to Kansas City and New England next week. Then I visited with a couple of others. Pittsburgh came to visit me here in Oklahoma and Cincinnati.

Scott Wright: Is there one team that you think you would fit in well with?

Reggie Smith: Not really.

     I think I can fit in anywhere and can adapt to a lot of things.

Scott Wright: Thanks for the time and good luck in a couple of weeks!

Links

Scouting Report Oklahoma Sooners Bio