Smith in 2021 | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | August 9, 1998 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Brother Martin (New Orleans, LA) | ||||||
| College: | Alabama (2016–2018) | ||||||
| Position: | Tight end | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2022 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Irvin Martin Smith Jr. (born August 9, 1998) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Alabama and was drafted in second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Vikings.
Smith Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 9, 1998. Shortly after being born, he moved to Arizona where he spent the first 14 years of his life. Smith Jr. moved back to New Orleans at age 14 and attended Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he played high school football. As a senior, he had 31 receptions for 558 yards and four touchdowns. He originally committed to Texas A&M University to play college football, but changed to the University of Alabama.[1][2]
After not recording a reception as a true freshman at Alabama in 2016, Smith Jr, had 14 receptions for 128 yards and three touchdowns over 14 games as a sophomore in 2017.[3] He returned to Alabama as a starter in 2018.[4][5] On January 11, 2019, Smith announced that he would declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[6]
| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 2017 | Alabama | 9 | 14 | 128 | 9.1 | 3 |
| 2018 | Alabama | 15 | 44 | 710 | 16.1 | 7 |
| Career | 24 | 58 | 838 | 14.4 | 10 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
242 lb (110 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.63 s | 1.68 s | 2.74 s | 4.33 s | 7.32 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
19 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[7][8] | ||||||||||||
Smith Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.[9]
Smith made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons but did not record any meaningful statistics.[10] He recorded his first reception in the next game against the Green Bay Packers.[11] He recorded a season-high and team-leading 60 receiving yards on three receptions against the Oakland Raiders in the following game.[12] He scored his first professional touchdown in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos on a 10-yard reception from Kirk Cousins.[13] Overall, as a rookie, he appeared in all 16 games and started six. He recorded 36 receptions for 311 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[14]
In Week 9, against the Detroit Lions, Smith had two receiving touchdowns in the same game for his first multi-touchdown game as a professional.[15] In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day, Smith recorded 6 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns during the 52–33 loss.[16]
On September 1, 2021, it was revealed that Smith underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, which would potentially cost him the entire 2021 season.[17] He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2021.[18]
On November 1, 2022, Smith was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in the Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals.[19] He was activated on January 7, 2023.
His father, Irv Smith Sr., played college football at the University of Notre Dame and in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, and Cleveland Browns.[20]
