Irv Smith Jr.

Irvin Martin Smith Jr. (born August 9, 1998) is an American football tight end for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.

Irv Smith Jr.
No. 84 – Minnesota Vikings
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1998-08-09) August 9, 1998
New Orleans, Louisiana
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:Brother Martin (New Orleans, LA)
College:Alabama
NFL Draft:2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Receptions:66
Receiving yards:676
Receiving touchdowns:7
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Smith Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 9, 1998. Shortly after being born, he moved to Arizona where he spent the first 14 years of his life. Smith Jr. moved back to New Orleans at age 14 and attended Brother Martin High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he played high school football. As a senior, he had 31 receptions for 558 yards and four touchdowns. He originally committed to Texas A&M University to play college football, but changed to the University of Alabama.[1][2]

College career

After not recording a reception as a true freshman at Alabama in 2016, Smith Jr, had 14 receptions for 128 yards and three touchdowns over 14 games as a sophomore in 2017.[3] He returned to Alabama as a starter in 2018.[4][5] On January 11, 2019, Smith announced that he would declare for the 2019 NFL Draft.[6]

College statistics
Year Team Pos Games Receiving
RecYardsAvgTDs
2017Alabama TE 9141289.13
2018Alabama TE 154471016.17
Career245883814.410

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 3⁄8 in
(1.89 m)		 242 lb
(110 kg)		 31 1⁄2 in
(0.80 m)		 9 1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.63 s 4.33 s 7.32 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 19 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7]

Smith Jr. was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.[8]

2019

Smith made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons but did not record any meaningful statistics.[9] He recorded his first reception in the next game against the Green Bay Packers.[10] He recorded a season-high and team-leading 60 receiving yards on three receptions against the Oakland Raiders in the following game.[11] He scored his first professional touchdown in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos on a 10-yard reception from Kirk Cousins.[12] Overall, as a rookie, he appeared in all 16 games and started six. He recorded 36 receptions for 311 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[13]

2020

In Week 9, against the Detroit Lions, Smith had two receiving touchdowns in the same game for his first multi-touchdown game as a professional.[14] In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day, Smith recorded 6 catches for 53 yards and 2 touchdowns during the 52–33 loss.[15]

Personal life

His father, Irv Smith, played in the National Football League as a tight end, and college football at the University of Notre Dame.[16]

He is the nephew of Edward (EZ) Smith. His uncle was a former tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, and he is currently co-hosting a sports radio show, "EZ Sports Talk" along with his older brother, Irv Smith in Phoenix, Arizona.

References
  1. "Brother Martin tight end Irvin Smith de-commits from Texas A&M, could visit LSU". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  2. "Brother Martin tight end Irvin Smith signs with Alabama". NOLA.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  3. "Brother Martin alum Irv Smith's New Orleans homecoming with Alabama as sweet as sugar | Sports". theadvocate.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  4. "Tight end Irv Smith Jr. an integral part of Alabama's big-play offense". Times Free Press. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. "Improved blocking from tight end Smith Jr. has expanded his game, Tide offense". montgomeryadvertiser.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. Scarborough, Alex (January 11, 2019). "Quinnen Williams, Jonah Williams among four from Alabama going pro". ESPN. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  7. "Irv Smith Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  8. Peters, Craig (April 26, 2019). "Vikings Draft Irv Smith Jr. in 2nd Round of 2019 NFL Draft". Vikings.com.
  9. "Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings - September 8th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  10. "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers - September 15th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  11. "Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings - September 22nd, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  12. "Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings - November 17th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  13. "Irv Smith 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  14. "Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings - November 8th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  15. "Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints - December 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  16. "Promising Alabama tight end following in father's footsteps". AL.com. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
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