Za’Darius Smith (born September 8, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings (NFL). He attended Kentucky and was drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Greenville High School in Greenville, Alabama was Smith’s alma mater. Smith played basketball in high school before switching to football in his final year.
Smith attended East Mississippi Community College for two years before moving to the University of Kentucky. He has 66 tackles and 11 sacks in two years at East Mississippi.
Smith started all 12 games in his first year at Kentucky and finished seventh in the SEC with 59 tackles and six sacks. Smith has 60 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a senior in 2014.
Smith competed in the 2015 East-West Shrine Game on January 17, 2015, and earned two combined tackles and one sack to help the East defeat the West 19-3. Smith was named the East-West Shrine Game’s most valuable defensive player. Smith was later invited to the 2015 Senior Bowl as a linebacker.
Smith played in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on January 24, 2015, and helped the North squad defeat the South 34-13. Smith was anticipated to be a third or fourth-round choice by NFL draft analysts and scouts at the end of the pre-draft process. DraftScout.com listed him as the 12th-best defensive end prospect.
Where did Za’Darius Smith go to high school?
Smith was born in Montgomery but attended high school in Greenville before attending East Mississippi Community Collegiate and finishing his college football career at Kentucky.
