*Irv Smith Jr. – Noteworthy
Throughout this week in Indianapolis, Irv Smith Jr. has been reminded of his namesake. Everywhere he goes, people want to talk about his father. It’s a natural topic of conversation because son and dad are so inextricably linked. Twenty-six years ago, Irv Smith Sr. became the first tight end selected in the 1993 NFL Draft as the New Orleans Saints snagged the Notre Dame star with the 20th overall pick. A generation later, his progeny – a 6-foot-2, 242-pound product from Alabama – is looking to outdo pops. “I want to be better than him and I want to be one of the greatest to play,” Smith, the younger, said Friday. Some in the NFL world have told Smith he’s at least capable of achieving the first goal.
“A lot of coaches here scouted my dad 20 years ago, which is crazy,” he said. “So, they joke with me a lot about that and tell me I was a better player than he was.” In Tuscaloosa, Smith evolved from a three-star recruit into a featured player in an offense that began using the tight end in the passing game after years of restricting players at that position to a heavy diet of in-line blocking. This past season, he caught 44 passes for 710 yards and scored seven touchdowns – emerging as one of Tua Tagovailoa’s preferred targets in the red zone. “Irv did a really good job for us ,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. – Birmingham News
Christian Miller – Noteworthy
The effects of a hamstring injury Christian Miller suffered in the Orange Bowl still linger – at least a little – at the NFL Combine. The former Alabama linebacker said he plans to compete in most of the positional drills Sunday in Indianapolis. The marquee 40-yard dash might have to wait. “Which I think is understandable coming off a Grade 2 hamstring strain,” Miller said Saturday. “Everybody is fine with that. All the scouts, they tell you if you’re not feeling it…they just need a time. It doesn’t matter where or when. I’ll probably hold off on the 40 but I plan on doing all the position work.” A few teams are interested in seeing Miller as a defensive lineman so he’ll participate in a couple defensive end drills as well, he said.
Miller went down in the Crimson Tide’s Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma. Initial reports indicated he might be able to play a little more than a week later in the national title game, but he didn’t see a snap in Santa Clara. A few times he jogged onto the field to start a drive but was among those called back to the sideline before the first snap. It was a frustrating end to an Alabama career that included missing nearly the entire 2017 season with a torn bicep. As a senior, Miller established himself as Alabama’s top outside pass-rush threat recording 8.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hurries. Since the season ended, Miller has been pulling double duty. “With us playing in the national championship the last four years, our seasons don’t end until much later,” Miller said. “We kind of got started later in terms of the training process. I really was training while I was rehabbing. So, I was out there doing everything I could and go straight to rehab and speeding it up as quick as I could.” – Birmingham News
Isaiah Buggs – Noteworthy
Isaiah Buggs hears you, haters. The former Alabama defensive lineman doesn’t mind it, really. And it isn’t impacting his confidence in this long NFL draft process. A day before hitting the field at the Combine in Indianapolis, Buggs took a few moments to address any critics. “I’ve been doubted some,” Buggs said. “I feel underrated, but I don’t have control over that. I know I am a great player, my film shows it. I am an all-around player, and can play anywhere up front and get the job done. I just have to trust in God and believe everything is going to work out. … It’s just motivation. When somebody says you can’t do it, it’s like a switch goes on to let them know, I can do it.”
After two seasons at Alabama, Buggs feels good about the résumé he has to offer the 32 pro teams in Indianapolis. After transferring from junior college, the Louisiana product was a starter along a defensive front that included 2018 first-rounder Da’Ron Payne and likely 2019 top-5 pick Quinnen Williams. Coming to Tuscaloosa, Buggs’ top priority was proving versatility. “I was always taught not to be a one-trick pony,” Buggs said. “Coming out of junior college, high school, I was never a one-trick pony.” – AL.com