Andre Smith (linebacker)

Andre Smith (born April 20, 1997) is an American football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Carolina.

Andre Smith

Smith with the Carolina Panthers in 2019
No. 59 – Buffalo Bills
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	April 20, 1997 Jacksonville, Florida
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:	Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Florida)
College:	North Carolina
NFL Draft:	2018 / Round: 7 / Pick: 234
Career history
Carolina Panthers (2018–2019) Buffalo Bills (2020–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Total tackles: 17 Sacks: 0.0 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 0 Interceptions: 0 Player stats at NFL.com

High School

Smith attended Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville, Florida. As a senior, he tallied 65 tackles with 5.5 being for loss.[1] He committed to play football for the North Carolina Tar Heels in October 2013.[2]

College career

Freshman Season

As a true freshman in 2015, Smith played in all of North Carolina's 14 games. He tallied 53 tackles, two being for losses, one interception, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble.[3]

Sophomore Season

In 2016, Smith played in all 13 games, starting 12 of them at middle linebacker. He made 113 tackles, second on the team, along with one interception, one sack, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble.[4]

Junior Season

As a junior in 2017, Smith suffered a knee injury in North Carolina's second game against Louisville, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.[5] In only two games, he tallied 21 tackles and a 73 yard interception return.[6] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.[7]

Professional career

Carolina Panthers

Smith was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in seventh round (234th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, using the 7th round pick acquired from a trade that sent Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills.[8]

Buffalo Bills

On August 31, 2020, Smith was traded to the Buffalo Bills for a conditional 2023 seventh-round pick.[9] He was waived on September 5, 2020 and signed to the practice squad the next day.[10][11] He was elevated to the active roster on September 19, October 13, and October 24 for the team's weeks 2, 5, and 7 games against the Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[12][13][14] He was promoted to the active roster on October 27.[15]

Career statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Comb	Total	Ast	Sck	PDef	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TDs	FF	FR
2018	CAR	3	0	3	1	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	CAR	16	0	5	5	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		19	0	8	6	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

References

1. "Andre Smith". University of North Carolina Tar Heels Official Athletic Site. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
2. "Smith Is UNC Commit No. 2 for 2015". Carolina Blue. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
3. "Andre Smith 2015 Player Statistics". cfbstats. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
4. "Andre Smith 2016 Player Statistics". cfbstats. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
5. "Andre Smith, UNC's star linebacker, is out for the season. Here's who will replace him". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
6. "Andre Smith 2017 Player Statistics". cfbstats. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
7. "UNC linebacker Andre Smith to enter NFL draft". The Herald Sun. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
8. Strickland, Bryan (April 28, 2018). "Panthers draft Andre Smith, Kendrick Norton in seventh round". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
9. "Bills trade for LB Andre Smith". BuffaloBills.com. August 31, 2020.
10. Brown, Chris (September 5, 2020). "Bills announce these moves to get to the 53-man roster limit". BuffaloBills.com.
11. "Bills announce the initial 2020 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 6, 2020.
12. Glab, Maddy (September 19, 2020). "Bills elevate linebackers Deon Lacey and Andre Smith from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
13. "Bills elevate CB Dane Jackson and LB Andre Smith". BuffaloBills.com. October 13, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
14. "Bills place four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list; four players elevated from practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. October 24, 2020. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
15. "Bills activate guard Jon Feliciano and promote linebacker Andre Smith". BuffaloBills.com. October 27, 2020.

External links

• North Carolina bio