The Tampa Bay Buccaneers added to their running back corps by selecting Utah State’s Michael Smith. His 4.38-40 yard dash at Utah State’s pro day obviously caused the Bucs to take notice. At 5’8″/ 205 lbs, Smith is undersized in height but is well built to take the abuse muscularly. His 2010 campaign cut short due to injury, Smith returned in 2011 for a total of 870 yards on just 114 attempts. He scored 9 rushing touchdowns and added two more through the air. Some have compared him to Darren Sproles, a fact validated by his 16 catches for 181 yards. The Bucs needed an extra body at running back and filled that need here. He provides great value given where he was selected, rated by National Football Post as the 15th best running back in the nation.
The Bucs still have one more pick to go, the 26th received from the Houston Texans. Here is some draft analysis by Pro Football Weekly, followed by some highlights of Smith in action.
