2007 NFL Draft: Kolby Smith Drafted by Chiefs

By Jeremy White, NFLHS.com

Kolby Smith probably could have been the feature back in many college football programs across the nation. At the University of Louisville, however, he was but one option in a talent-heavy backfield, which limited his carries.

Smith didn't mind. He was a blocking back in high school and says putting a good block on a linebacker is sometimes as fun as scampering into the end zone with the pigskin under his arms.

"I started off as a fullback," the soft-spoken Smith recalled during the NFL Scouting Combine last February. "I weighed 205 (pounds) at that time and I was a blocking back in high school. I enjoy blocking. It's very important."

Smith runs with the ball against Wake Forest 2007 Orange Bowl.

As a runner, Smith describes himself as a back with "solid spin moves and the ability to run over people. I work hard to get that first down and take a lot of pride in that."

Back at Richards High School in Tallahassee, Florida, Smith was a two-sport athlete. He ran the 110-meter hurdles in track and was a talented player on an undermanned football team that didn't rack up a lot of success.

"We lost a lot of games," said Smith, who became an NFL player April 29 when he was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. "But I went into Louisville with the attitude that I wanted to win."

Smith gained that winning attitude, in part, by dedicating himself to studying film of defensive alignments and figuring out with his coaches how best to attack the upcoming opposition.

"My coaches taught me a lot about how to set up against defenses," he says. "I'm out to win the ballgame, just like them, and preparation is everything. I spent a lot of time watching film, and that's how you can become more comfortable, mentally, with what you need to do. When I study film and know I'm prepared, my confidence level is high. You have to be confident in yourself."

Smith says high school football players should focus less on what newspapers and online scouting evaluations say about them and more on game preparation.

"You can't really go by what people say. You need to buy into what the coaches want you to do and work hard on their system to be the most successful player in that system that you can be," he says. "If you want to be the best player you can be, you have to prepare hard and train hard. The things you do off the field are crucial."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.