Zero2Cool
10 years ago

Ask any current and former NFL player and they will tell you that they had to overcome some type of adversity during their career. They will also tell you they’ve matured and have moved on since then. Rarely, however, do some actually live up to their word. For Damond Smith, he’s not only living up to it, but he’s setting the example for players to follow.

Smith grew up with five siblings, two older and younger brothers and one sister, in Ecourse, Michigan. At the age of seven, Smith first laced up his cleats and strapped on his helmet in the travel leagues of Michigan. He played in that league up until high school.

Being one of the bigger kids and the harder hitters, Smith always played linebacker and running back growing up. It wasn’t until he got to Cass Tech High School where he switched to corner and played with some of the best corners to come out of the state of Michigan.

“Cass Tech sent corners to D-1 schools every years. It was great because I got to learn under the best,” said Smith.

Cass Tech sent players to Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, and a number of other top Division-1 football programs. For Smith, he was ready to add his name to the list of quality corners to come out of Cass Tech.

Following his junior year, Smith’s family moved and with that so did where he went to high school. For his senior year, he attended and started at cornerback for Inkster High School. In the state semi-finals, Smith led the team with three interceptions and returned two of them for touchdowns. Unfortunately, they fell in the state finals to East Grand Rapids.

Coming out of high school, Smith was the 189th ranked cornerback on Scout.com. In Michigan, he was the top ranked corner and 32nd ranked overall player in the state. Smith was also a member of the Detroit News Blue Chip List in 2009. Following high school, Smith had all the top mid-west schools after him.

“Michigan, Western Michigan, all the MAC school, Utah, and few other Big 10 schools were after me. I took official visits to UMass and Western Michigan,” said Smith.

For Smith, the move to become a Western Michigan Bronco was fairly simple. It was close to home and he could play right away. He signed his letter of intent and in the fall of 2009 he was on the campus of Western Michigan.

Right away, Smith got playing time and appeared in all 11 of WMU’s games. One of his most memorable career moments came in his first ever game in front of 110,000 in the Big House on the campus of the University of Michigan.

“That opened my eyes to college football. The atmosphere was amazing and I was lining up against guys that I used to watch on TV. It was surreal,” said Smith. He finished with four tackles in his first career game against the Wolverines.

read the rest
http://www.beyondsportsnetwork.com/articles/236/the-long-road-back-damond-smith 


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texaspackerbacker
10 years ago
You can never have too many good Corners ...... although if this guy pans out, and Hyde and that FA signed before the draft, we must be approaching the limit hahaha.
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Gaycandybacon
10 years ago
Guy can sure cover.... And tackles pretty well. Hard hitter.
play2win
10 years ago
Dame Smith maybe the best UDFA signing. I am shocked at his level of play amazing hitter, tackler, raw football instincts, ability to read and react.

Just watch that video. This kid will make it.
steveishere
10 years ago
This guy is one of my favorite rookies so far. He looks like a beast. Hopefully he keeps that attitude against the big boys.
play2win
10 years ago
I really wish Damond well with the Packers. He's had a hell of a struggle to get this far, and it would be great to see him take control of his life in the most positive of ways, and build on what he does best, playing CB and stopping his opponent.

I would love to see what this kid could do on STs to start. That may prove to be his road onto this team. What a tackler!
nerdmann
10 years ago

Guy can sure cover.... And tackles pretty well. Hard hitter.

Originally Posted by: Gaycandybacon 



How big is he? Could he play S?

I heard a rumor they might bring Charles back at a reduced price...
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
play2win
10 years ago

How big is he? Could he play S?

I heard a rumor they might bring Charles back at a reduced price...

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 



This guy? 6-0 175

I think Damond Smith could play Safety, but he seems to have really good CB skills. Sound tackler.
nerdmann
10 years ago

This guy? 6-0 175

I think Damond Smith could play Safety, but he seems to have really good CB skills. Sound tackler.

Originally Posted by: play2win 



Yeah, that's a CB. Too light for a S.
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don't do things right once in a while…you do them right all the time.”
Gaycandybacon
10 years ago

This guy? 6-0 175

I think Damond Smith could play Safety, but he seems to have really good CB skills. Sound tackler.

Originally Posted by: play2win 



Yeah, that's a CB. Too light for a S.

Originally Posted by: nerdmann 



I was looking for his size.. Damn I really wanted to see if they could maybe see what he has at safety. He sure can fly, and tackle like an animal.
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