Packers: Za’Darius Smith continues to be overlooked

Za’Darius Smith has made an immediate impact for the Green Bay Packers from the first time he stepped on the field in green and gold. He has stepped in and been a leader for a defense that has always been supported by the offense before his arrival.

Smith hasn’t missed a start in his two years in Green Bay and has racked up 26.0 sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and 50 quarterback hits. He has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Packers. He is an elite talent in the NFL, but for some reason, only the Packers and their fans seem to know and acknowledge it.

In 2019, Smith registered 13.5 sacks, finishing sixth in the NFL, but also had 37 quarterback hits, which tied for first with Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett. Smith was not selected to the initial 2019 Pro Bowl roster. He eventually got in after some players bowed out, but Smith took this as a slight, nonetheless.

He was also left off of both of the first and second All-Pro teams after finishing fifth in the voting. The top two go to the first team, then the second pair goes to the second team, meaning Za’Darius just missed making an All-Pro team.

In the offseason after, Smith appeared in the popular but always controversial “NFL Top 100 Players” list. He landed at number 48, which wasn’t bad, especially considering he wasn’t on the list the season before. Some thought he should have been even higher though. Players like J.J. Watt (45) and Jadeveon Clowney (41) were ahead of Smith despite having fewer sacks and less production overall.

Now, heading into the 2021 season, Smith continues to get overlooked. Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey released his Edge Defender Rankings entering the 2021 season. The Bears’ Khalil Mack is at the top of the list, while Smith finds himself all the way down at 13. From Linsey:

"“The move to Green Bay has led to the best football of Smith’s career. It started with a dominant 2019 season in which Smith posted a career-high 89.7 overall grade and led the NFL in pressures with 93. The 2020 season didn’t quite live up to those heights, but Smith put up another impressive 84.2 pass-rushing grade. He has been effective when kicking inside the tackles and rushing the passer, posting a 20.2% pass-rush win rate on over 100 such snaps over the last two years.”"

While at 13, he finds himself behind Danielle Hunter (10) and Von Miller (11), who both missed the 2020 season. He is also behind J.J. Watt again, who had just 5.0 sacks and 17 quarterback hits compared to Smith’s 12.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hits in 2020.

The fact that Smith is continually overlooked is definitely frustrating for himself and Packers fans. Luckily, this should only continue to motivate Smith, which can be nothing but good news for the Packers.