 Smith with theBaltimore Ravens in 2009 | |||||||||
| No. 82 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1980-05-13)May 13, 1980 (age 45) Highland Park, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 258 lb (117 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Highland Park | ||||||||
| College | Rutgers | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2003: 2nd round, 61st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
John Smith III (born May 13, 1980), commonly known asL. J., which stands for "Little John", is an American former professionalfootball player who was atight end in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theRutgers Scarlet Knights. He was selected by thePhiladelphia Eagles in the second round of the2003 NFL draft.
In elementary school, he went to Bartle in Highland Park. AtHighland Park High School inHighland Park, New Jersey, Smith played both basketball and football. As a senior footballlinebacker, he posted 11 sacks, 143 tackles, and five interceptions.[1]
A four-year starter, he finished second in Rutgers history among tight ends with 122 receptions for 1,458 yards and ten touchdowns, surpassed only byMarco Battaglia.
Smith earned All-Big East honors as both a junior and senior, and served as team captain as a senior, leading theScarlet Knights with a career-high 32 receptions for 384 yards and three touchdowns.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 258 lb (117 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.65 s | 1.65 s | 2.74 s | 4.25 s | 6.74 s | 37 in (0.94 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 26 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine.[2] | ||||||||||||
Smith was selected by thePhiladelphia Eagles in the second round of the2003 NFL draft.[3] As a rookie, he backed upChad Lewis, and had 27 receptions for 321 yards and a touchdown. CoachAndy Reid worked Smith and Lewis both into the offense with two tight-end sets, and Smith had 34 receptions, 377 yards and five touchdowns in 2004. That season, the Eagles reachedSuper Bowl XXXIX and Smith made an impressive diving reception in the back of the end zone for the Eagles' first touchdown of the game, though they would go on to lose to the New England Patriots 24–21.
With the retirement of Chad Lewis and suspension ofTerrell Owens, Smith became one ofDonovan McNabb's top targets; between 2005 and 2006, Smith led the Eagles in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Entering the final year of his contract in 2007, Smith suffered ahernia injury that could have possibly kept him out for the season.[4] Smith however did recover in time for the season opener, though the injury would limit him for much of the year.[5] Unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal, the Eagles placed thefranchise tag on Smith for the 2008 season.
Smith signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with theBaltimore Ravens on March 20, 2009. In his lone season in Baltimore (plagued by injuries) Smith had only two catches for 31 yards, and had no starts backing upTodd Heap.[6][7]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2003 | PHI | 15 | 5 | 46 | 27 | 321 | 11.9 | 36 | 1 |
| 2004 | PHI | 16 | 8 | 54 | 34 | 377 | 11.1 | 31 | 5 |
| 2005 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 107 | 61 | 682 | 11.2 | 48 | 3 |
| 2006 | PHI | 16 | 15 | 75 | 50 | 611 | 12.2 | 65 | 5 |
| 2007 | PHI | 10 | 9 | 43 | 22 | 236 | 10.7 | 26 | 1 |
| 2008 | PHI | 13 | 12 | 64 | 37 | 298 | 8.1 | 25 | 3 |
| 2009 | BAL | 12 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 26 | 0 |
| Total | 98 | 65 | 392 | 233 | 2,556 | 11.0 | 65 | 18 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2003 | PHI | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 43 | 14.3 | 23 | 0 |
| 2004 | PHI | 3 | 2 | 17 | 9 | 100 | 11.1 | 21 | 1 |
| 2006 | PHI | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 15 | 0 |
| 2008 | PHI | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 6 | 0 |
| 2009 | BAL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 11 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 191 | 10.6 | 23 | 1 | |
Smith was included in the 2005Chunky Soup commercials featuringDonovan McNabb. He enjoys playingbasketball and was a tremendous basketballprospect who drew interest from a number of Division I programs includingFlorida State and various schools from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. He currently resides inLongport, New Jersey. He currently owns and operates aPlato's Closet store inEdison, New Jersey.[1] Inspired by his mother, Smith returned to Rutgers and in 2016 completed hisundergraduate degree.[8]
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Media related toL. J. Smith at Wikimedia Commons