April 23, 2010

RUSTON - Louisiana Tech defensive lineman D'Anthony Smith was taken with the 10th overall pick in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars during Friday night's second day of the three-day event.

Smith, who was a two-time first team all-Western Athletic Conference selection the past two seasons, was the Jaguar's second pick in the draft as Jacksonville took California defensive tackle Tyson Alualu with the 10th overall selection in the first round.

According to ESPN.com's draft analysis, Smith "has above-average athletic ability and moves well laterally for his size. That said, he needs to get stronger in his core and lacks an elite anchor to hold up against the run on the inside. The good news for Smith is that he is an above average pass-rusher with a wide array of moves."

Smith started 46 games during his career with the Bulldogs, making 194 tackles, including 15 sacks and 24.0 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3, 304-pounder anchored a Tech defensive line that made huge strides the past two years against opposing offenses.

Smith is the first Bulldog drafted since Johnathan Holland was selected with the 44th pick of the seventh round by the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He is the highest selection since Troy Edwards was taken with the 13th pick in the first round of the 1999 Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

He is also the third Bulldog selected in the NFL Draft by the Jaguars joining placekicker Josh Scobee (5th round, 2004) and offensive lineman Joey Chustz (4th round, 2000). Smith will join Scobee and another former Bulldog in quarterback Luke McCown on the Jaguars roster.