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**DanO** · November 5, 2024, 10:54 AM

Smith is a great get. Not only does he have good production he's going from a shitty team to a contender and possible SB favorite. How much more excited and motivated is that going to make him hopefully positively affecting his game. Not only did Holmes get his guy he got him at his price by waiting proving once again how good Holmes is.

**El Axe** · November 5, 2024, 11:09 AM

The Jared Goff interview on 97.1 today was pretty funny (around 10:30am if you can figure that out from their streaming)

The trade is not yet official, so he wasn't allowed to comment directly, so they had this exchange about the "trade":

Gator: "A player like this has been reported. Do you have a history with him in the past and how he has wreaked havoc on you as a QB in the league?"

Goff: "Yeah, I don't know who you're talking about, but yeah he's been giving me a hard time for a long time now."

Later Goff was asked about what he was saying to the Packers during the kneel down to end the game and he said something like:
"They said that they'll be seeing us again and I said that 'we too are familiar with how the schedule works, we play you twice every year'"

edit: I've heard that some people said that one of his other replies could be read as the Lions have another deal in the works.

**Dan V** · November 5, 2024, 11:16 AM

Great trade. It basically cost them a 5th next year so we get 1/2 a year out of this guy and he becomes the #1 until Hutch comes back next year. It will take the pressure off the developing DL we have and Alim will be more effective in the middle, as Smith will see more double teams.
Now the question next year is do we use a #1 on a pass rusher or a wideout ( for those who are afraid of a Jamo flame out)

**whatever_gong82** · November 5, 2024, 11:26 AM

Detroit Football Network

Lions film review: A look at Za'Darius Smith's pass-rush skill set

Justin Rogers
Nov 05, 2024

So you traded for an edge rusher.

Let’s get to know what the Detroit Lions are getting in veteran defensive end Za’Darius Smith.

Measurables

Smith has a good frame, checking in at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds, but with slightly shorter than average arm length for his position. Those measured at 32 5/8 inches when he was coming out of Kentucky.

Drafted in the fourth round in 2017, Smith didn’t post particularly impressive testing numbers at the scouting combine or his pro day, with below-average metrics in explosion, agility and strength. To be fair, outside the bench press, those drills typically favor smaller edge rushers.

Statistics

Smith is in his 10th season, playing four with Baltimore, three in Green Bay, one in Minnesota, and the last year and a half in Cleveland. He’s appeared in 132 games, making 89 starts, while tallying 321 tackles, 65 sacks and 10 forced fumbles.

Here’s a breakdown of his more recent production:

2022: 16 starts, 771 defensive snaps, 44 tackles, 10.0 sacks, 80 QB pressures

2023: 16 starts, 584 defensive snaps, 27 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 61 QB pressures

2024: 9 starts, 327 defensive snaps, 23 tackles, 5.0 sacks, 27 QB pressures

Usage

This season, Smith has been used almost exclusively along the line of scrimmage, with the majority of his snaps (72.8%) coming from left-side alignments. Primarily an edge rusher, he will situationally slide inside. Earlier in his career, he saw a percentage of his workload off the ball, but never more than 100 snaps in a season.

Let’s take a look at some of Smith’s film to get a better feel for his skill set and rush style.

The foundation of Smith’s repertoire is power. In Week 1, Smith rushes from a wide alignment and quickly gets his right hand into the chest of Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele, knocking him off balance and driving him back into the pocket.

By keeping his left arm free and his head up, Smith breaks free of the blocker’s grasp, slicing inside to drop quarterback Dak Prescott for the sack.

We see an additional example of Smith’s knockback power and ability to shed the blocker against the Indianapolis Colts last season, when he was able to knock the ball free from the QB’s grasp for a takeaway.

And again, against the Cardinals, where he’s able to mirror Kyler Murray’s movement in the pocket, shed the offensive tackle and drop the QB for the loss.

As you would expect with someone possessing his build, Smith isn’t a flexible bender, but he can turn an edge by running a tight hoop around the tackle, which works well within Detroit’s scheme because it limits the quarterback’s escape lanes. He showed that ability against the Chargers last week, angling around the outside shoulder of rookie right tackle Joe Alt.

Smith wasn’t awarded the sack, but pressure from the tight bend forced quarterback Justin Herbert to step up into the pocket where he was swallowed by Cleveland’s interior rush.

Smith’s power is complemented by his balance. He isn’t taken to the ground often, and against the Commanders this season, he maintains his footing while pinballing off the interior blocking to drop quarterback Jayden Daniels.

There is some suddenness to Smith’s game, and he’s not afraid to deploy a spin move to beat his block. He combined that ability with strong awareness against Jacksonville earlier this season, rapidly closing space on a play-action rollout pass. That hurried the throw, causing quarterback Trevor Lawrence to lead his target out of bounds for a loss of yardage.

Violent and active hands are important for a rusher, particularly when they don’t have elite length. Rushing from the inside against the Bengals this year, Smith does a great job initially absorbing a double-team before swiping past guard Alex Cappa to get to Joe Burrow.

Smith also plays with good effort. Against the Giants this season, we see his initial rush stymied, including an attempted inside spin, but as Daniel Jones escapes the grasp of Myles Garrett and rolls right, Smith recovers for the clean-up sack.

One weakness that shows up in Smith’s film is his ability to handle mobile quarterbacks in space. There are multiple times where he either takes a bad angle and doesn’t have the speed to recover or a rolling QB jukes past him and extend the play.

The bad angles happened twice against Washington and Daniels.

And who doesn’t Lamar Jackson make look silly on occasion?

© 2024 Justin Rogers | Detroit Football Network

**whatever_gong82** · November 5, 2024, 11:29 AM

Updated list of Lions’ future draft picks after Za’Darius Smith trade

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/11/5/24288675/updated-list-detroit-lions-future-draft-picks-2025-2026-zadarius-smith-trade

Here’s an updated list of Detroit Lions’ 2025, 2026 draft picks following the trade for Za’Darius Smith.

**El Axe** · November 5, 2024, 11:34 AM

Apparently, the Lions are only on the hook for $600k this year. If they keep him next season, it'll be $11M next year, which is a good deal for what he typical brings. Browns are eating all the other money on the contract.

One minor negative is that Smith won't be getting a bye week this season. Browns hadn't had their bye yet. It makes it a long season for him.

**DanO** · November 5, 2024, 11:49 AM

Originally posted by El Axe View Post

The Jared Goff interview on 97.1 today was pretty funny (around 10:30am if you can figure that out from their streaming)

The trade is not yet official, so he wasn't allowed to comment directly, so they had this exchange about the "trade":

Gator: "A player like this has been reported. Do you have a history with him in the past and how he has wreaked havoc on you as a QB in the league?"

Goff: "Yeah, I don't know who you're talking about, but yeah he's been giving me a hard time for a long time now."

Later Goff was asked about what he was saying to the Packers during the kneel down to end the game and he said something like:
"They said that they'll be seeing us again and I said that 'we too are familiar with how the schedule works, we play you twice every year'"

edit: I've heard that some people said that one of his other replies could be read as the Lions have another deal in the works.

Listened to the same thing. LOL at Goff's comment.

"One minor negative is that Smith won't be getting a bye week this season. Browns hadn't had their bye yet. It makes it a long season for him."
--------------------------Lions can give him a "bye" if he needs one. Given his motor and aggressiveness I don't think that will be an issue.

**CGVT** · November 5, 2024, 11:51 AM

Originally posted by El Axe View Post

Apparently, the Lions are only on the hook for $600k this year. If they keep him next season, it'll be $11M next year, which is a good deal for what he typical brings. Browns are eating all the other money on the contract.

One minor negative is that Smith won't be getting a bye week this season. Browns hadn't had their bye yet. It makes it a long season for him.

He'll get his bye when the playoffs start

**El Axe** · November 5, 2024, 11:55 AM

Originally posted by whatever_gong82 View Post

https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2024/...us-smith-trade

As things stand right now, here are the Lions current 2025 draft picks:

First round
Second round
Fourth round
Sixth round (from Buccaneers)
Seventh round
Seventh round (from Cowboys)

The third-rounder (and a roster spot this year) was given up for Manu who will be like a normal rookie next year given his development curve. I still like that deal. He has the potential of being a quality starting OT, and those usually come at a cost of a 1st rounder. It should save us from having to use a pick on an OT in the draft.

Nice that we still have 6 picks

**mason reese** · November 5, 2024, 12:10 PM

Originally posted by El Axe View Post

The third-rounder (and a roster spot this year) was given up for Manu who will be like a normal rookie next year given his development curve. I still like that deal. He has the potential of being a quality starting OT, and those usually come at a cost of a 1st rounder. It should save us from having to use a pick on an OT in the draft.

Nice that we still have 6 picks

Still seems like plenty for any other possible trades.

**whatever_gong82** · November 5, 2024, 12:22 PM

Got him: Lions get 3-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith in trade with Browns

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2024/11/05/detroit-lions-land-three-time-pro-bowler-zadarius-smith-in-trade-with-cleveland-browns/75908040007/

Za'Darius Smith got his wish, and the Lions got their edge rusher.

**whatever_gong82** · November 5, 2024, 12:28 PM

**whatever_gong82** · November 5, 2024, 12:36 PM

Who is Za’Darius Smith? What to know about new Detroit Lions pass rusher

Paywall article from the News.

Richard Silva
The Detroit News

It came on deadline day, but the Detroit Lions finally have their new pass rusher.

After losing Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport to season-ending injures, the popular assumption many held was that general manager Brad Holmes was going to go out and get an impact player off the edge to take advantage of this year's Super Bowl window. That proved true.

What's impressive about the deal is how Holmes seemingly didn't overpay. Three pass rushers have been traded this season — in addition to Smith, Josh Uche went from the Patriots to the Chiefs and Baron Browning went from the Broncos to the Cardinals — and what Detroit reportedly gave up is comparable to that of Kansas City and Arizona. Smith has 27 pressures this season, Uche has 13 and Browning, while missing four games due to a foot injury, has five.

Here are some things to know about Smith, a 32-year-old veteran who should provide a boost to Detroit's pass rush:

Who has Za'Darius Smith played for?

Smith is no stranger to the division.

After beginning his career with the Baltimore Ravens as a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Smith signed a four-year deal with the Green Bay Packers in March 2019. They released him after three seasons, and Smith went on to ink a three-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings, with whom he only spent one season before they shipped him, along with a sixth- and seventh-rounder, to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a pair of fifths.

Za'Darius Smith stats

Some time has passed, but Smith in 2020 turned in a season among the league's best. He totaled 59 pressures, 52 tackles, 12½ sacks and four forced fumbles while still a member of the Packers, helping Green Bay to a 13-3 record in the regular season and earning himself a second-team All-Pro spot alongside Khalil Mack. The first-teamers included TJ Watt and Myles Garrett.

Smith was a Pro Bowler in 2019, 2020 and 2022. Over his 10-season NFL career, he's accumulated 321 tackles (82 for loss), 163 quarterback hits and 65 sacks. In addition to 2020, Smith has recorded eight or more sacks in 2018 (8½), 2019 (13½) and 2022 (10).

Where did Za'Darius Smith go to college?

Unranked coming out of Greenville High School in Alabama, Smith's collegiate career began at the junior-college level. More specifically, he played two years at East Mississippi Community College, where he turned in 66 tackles and 11 sacks to earn himself an SEC opportunity at Kentucky.

Smith hit the ground running for the Wildcats, starting every game in 2013 and generating seven sacks. That led all of his teammates aside from Bud Dupree, who would eventually go on to get selected No. 22 overall in 2015. Smith then posted 6½ in his final season at Kentucky, again only bested by Dupree (7).

Smith's 1989 Caprice Classic

In his bio page at Kentucky, Smith said something people don't know about him is that he loves to "ride around the city in my 1989 Caprice Classic." Chevrolet's first premium car was the Impala, which was released in 1958, but the Caprice replaced it as the brand's top-of-the-line vehicle in 1965, per autoevolution.

It's unclear if Smith still owns the Caprice, but he's seemingly into cars.

Za'Darius Smith was open to playing for the Lions

Smith's name had been linked to the Lions for a few weeks, but he apparently didn't hear the noise until recently. When asked about the rumors last month, Smith said, "I didn’t even know about it," per The Chronicle-Telegram. He talked to BrownsZone later that week and discussed how he wouldn't mind playing in Detroit.

"If I was to go to Detroit, I would like it," Smith said. "Because I get to play Green Bay twice a year and the Vikings twice a year. So, yeah, that’ll be big."

And now it's reality.

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18