Sutton Smith trying to become Steelers utilityman
https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...acker-OTAs-special-teams/stories/201905300114
When Sutton Smith wants something, he isn’t afraid to go take it. It’s the kind of personality one should probably have to plan a proposal to his girlfriend after a conference championship, which is exactly what Smith did in December, a plan that worked out perfectly on the heels of a 30-29 win against Buffalo in the MAC title game.
Six months later, Smith is chasing another goal in his first NFL offseason practices, and he’s driven enough to take on whatever role the Steelers propose to him. Two weeks and six workouts into it, that includes fullback as much as it does outside linebacker, the bullet on his resume that made him a sixth-round draft pick last month. It’s clear now that trying him on the other side of the ball is more than just a one- or two-day experiment.
“I don’t think it should stunt anything at all,” Smith said of his development so far. “If anything, it should improve my athletic ability. Honestly, work is work.”
And the 6-foot, 233-pound Smith is getting plenty of it, albeit only in a non-padded setting to this point. But here’s hoping you didn’t rush out to buy your No. 51 Smith jersey because the past few days of OTAs, he’s been sporting No. 42. Not a typical number for a pass-rusher, but it is befitting a fullback.
Smith, an all-everything defensive star at Northern Illinois, is taking handoffs, working on ball security and honing his pass protection in individual drills. When it comes time for team periods, he hops in with the defensive backups. It’s easy to see Mike Tomlin is keeping an eye on how he handles the dual workload.
“There might be [more] things to come. I don’t know, that’s for coach Tomlin and the coaching staff to decide,” said Smith, who might also project as an inside linebacker, given his lack of NFL size. “But I’m just here to help out the Steelers organization in any way.”
An organization that has made the same move with a different but similarly accomplished player. Smith is aware that the starting Steelers fullback, Roosevelt Nix, is another former MAC defensive player of the year who was undersized. The 5-11, 248-pound Nix converted from defensive tackle to carve out a niche for himself in the NFL.
If you go back to watch the grainy highlight tapes of Smith’s pre-college days, all you’ll really see is him being an all-state running back at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Mo. The Steelers probably wouldn’t put all that much stock in that long-ago chapter of Smith’s football journey, but at least it’s a foundation to build on in exploring his versatility.
“Quick backstory,” Smith said with a smile. “I’ve always been flipping back and forth between defense and offense my whole life, so it’s not unusual that teams see me in a different way. … And that’s what great coaches do, they see the athleticism in a person and try him out in multiple places. Credit to coach Tomlin; he’s doing everything that he can to find me spots on the team, and I think I’m doing just that. Two positions is awesome. They even told me that today, that it’s a really good thing.”
Truth be told, it’s not offense or defense Smith is most focused on at this point. He’s concentrating the most on trying to make a splash via special teams, which makes perfect sense for a sixth-round rookie. According to Smith, he wasn’t used much in that capacity at Northern Illinois — because he was so important to the defense — but when he did play on the kickoff team, he led the Huskies in tackles for loss behind the 20-yard line.
As a native of the St. Louis area, Smith is pulling for the Blues against the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals. He insists that if he manages to stick around Pittsburgh for a while, he’ll definitely become a fan of the local teams, but Smith must admit he grew up a Cardinals fan.
Clearly, he’s enough of a baseball guy to understand the value of being a utilityman — or a switch-hitter.
“I’ve heard that all the time: The more you can do, the better,” Smith said. “Special teams, outside linebacker, fullback, whichever order.”
Brian Batko:
bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
