Harrison Smith

At 35 years old, Harrison Smith has this physical status:

Harrison Smith (born February 2, 1989) is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League.

He was drafted in the first round, 29th overall of the 2012 NFL Draft.

He played college football for Notre Dame. In 2017, Smith was graded the 3rd best player in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

His season grade of 98.8 was also the highest among safeties in Pro Football Focus history.

He was named to his third straight Pro Bowl on January 22, 2018 and was named first team All-Pro.

He followed with a 4th consecutive Pro Bowl in 2019 and second team All-Pro.

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High school career

Smith, who was named by his parents after actor Harrison Ford, attended Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. In his senior year, he gained 1,340 yards for 453 yards and six touchdowns, caught 23 passes for 453 yards and six touchdowns, had 61 tackles, two interceptions, and caused two defensive fumbles. In 2006, he was named Gatorade Football Player of the Year in Tennessee.

Smith played basketball and ran track in addition to football. He competed mainly as a jumper, according to the jumper's resume. He won the state meet in the high jump 1.98 meters (6.5 ft) and the decathlon, scoring 6,230 points. In the high jump, he made a career-best leap of 2.03 meters (6.8 ft). In a long jump and 14.15 meters (46 ft 5 in) in triple jump, he had personal best jumps of 6.54 meters (21 ft 5 in) and 14.15 meters (46 ft 5 in) in triple jump.

He was listed as the No. 1 in a four-star recruit by Rivals.com. The country's top 25 athletes. Many scouts believed he should play offense or defense in college. He preferred Notre Dame over Tennessee, Auburn, Stanford, and Alabama.

College career

He rose to fame in 2008 after red-shirting as a freshman in 2007. He began his career as a linebacker. He started 9 games and saw 57 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, in his first year. He started six games with good security as a kid in 2009, then switched to a strongside linebacker for the final six games. He had 69 tackles, with 6.5 for loss. He had a good safety game as a senior in 2010, with 93 tackles, including a team-high seven interceptions. In 2011, he was accepted into a Notre Dame graduate program, allowing him to participate in another season. In his last year as team captain, he participated in and started all 13 games. He made 90 tackles, three tackles for loss, with three of them being tackled for loss.

Professional career

Smith was expected to be a first round draft pick by the majority of analysts coming out of Notre Dame. He was ranked second best strong defense, behind Alabama's Mark Barron, and the 46th best prospect by NFLDraftScout.com. He was able to participate in the 2012 NFL Combine as a free safety and completed the entire workout and every positional drill. Smith was so happy with his mingling that he decided not to partake in positional drills at Notre Dame's Pro Day. Analysts and scouts have given him high praise for his size, athletic ability, play detection, intelligence, combating skills, reaction time, and production. He received mostly critical feedback on his man to man coverage skills.

Since trading up with the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (29th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Smith in the first round (29th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft on April 26, 2012. On May 31, 2012, the Minnesota Vikings announced Smith to a four-year, $7.13 million contract with a sign bonus of $3.63 million.

Smith competed against Jamarca Sanford and Andrew Sendejo for the starting free safety spot after entering training camp. Smith was named the starting free safety for the first time in the regular season. In the Vikings' season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he made his professional appearance in his first season and first career start. With seven combined tackles, he won by 26-23. Smith was suspended for leading a man out of the way during Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, but the Vikings defeated him 30–7. Smith finished with six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career interception after a pass was thrown by John Skelton, who led the Vikings to a 21-14 victory. When the Vikings defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8, he recorded a season-high 13 combined tackles. Smith intercepted a pass from Aaron Rodgers against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 as the Vikings lost 23-14. In Week 14 against the Chicago Bears, he had seven total tackles and intercepted a pass thrower that Jay Cutler lost for a 52-yard touchdown, his second touchdown of the season. Smith had a season-high nine solo tackles and an assisted tackle against the St. Louis Rams in Week 15, winning 36–22. Matt Schaub made his first career sacking after winning 23-26 in a Week 16 matchup against the Houston Texans.

He had 104 combined tackles, one sack, three interceptions, and two touchdowns in his rookie season.

He was back as the starting free safety in the following season. Smith had a season-high ten combined tackles and deflected a pass against the Detroit Lions in the season opener, losing 34-24. For his first of the season, he recorded eight solo tackles and intercepted Jay Cutler for his first of the season. The Minnesota Vikings lost 31-30 to the Chicago Bears. Smith threw up five solo tackles and intercepted Brian Hoyer in a 31-27 loss to the Browns in Week 3. Smith was put on injured reserve after suffering a left foot injury during a Week 6 loss to the Carolina Panthers on October 18, 2013. Smith was activated to the 53-man roster on December 14, 2013, after missing 8 games. In a 48-30 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, he played in his first game since returning and made eight combined tackles. Smith played in only seven games in 2013 due to his foot injury, but he had 58 total tackles and two interceptions.

Under new head coach Mike Zimmer's guidance, he recovered as the starting free safety. Smith made two solo tackles, a pass deflection, a suspension, and intercepted a pass by Shaun Hill, resulting in a 38-yard victory. Smith intercepted a pass kicked by Matt Ryan in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, a 41-28 victory. Smith intercepted a pass throw by Matt Flynn in a 42-10 loss in a Thursday Night game against the Green Bay Packers. In a 29-26 victory over the Washington Redskins, he had his season-high ten solo tackles. Smith made three solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass throw by Jay Cutler in a 21-13 loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 11. In a 24-21 loss to the Packers, he deflected a pass, made five solo tackles, and assisted on five tackles, tying his season-high of ten combined tackles. Smith intercepted a pass throw by Ryan Tannehill in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins, resulting in a 37-35 loss. He started all 16 games and ended his first year under new head coach Mike Zimmer with 92 total tackles, nine interceptions, five interceptions, and a touchdown.

The Minnesota Vikings selected the fifth-year option on his rookie deal, which cost him $5.28 million for 2016.

In a 20-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he had a season-high nine combined tackles. In a 26-16 victory over the Detroit Lions, Smith had a season-high six solo tackles. Smith made three combined tackles and intercepted a pass called by Peyton Manning in a 23-20 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, marking Smith's first interception of the season. In Week 16, Smith tallied up five combined tackles and intercepted a pass throw by Eli Manning that resulted in a 49-17 victory over the New York Giants, scoring a touchdown for the 35th time. With four interceptions returned for touchdowns in a career, he tied for the first time in Minnesota. Smith appeared in 13 games for the Vikings in the 2015 season and missed Week 12, 14, and 15 due to a knee injury. He had 66 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, and a touchdown.

Smith played in his first Pro Bowl as an alternate for Earl Thomas, who was hospitalized on January 31, 2016. He was ranked 73rd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

Smith signed a five-year, $51.25 million contract extension with the Vikings that included $28.57 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $10 million.

In the Vikings' season-opener against the Tennessee Titans, he made eight total tackles in a 25-16 victory. In a 22–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers on September 25, 2016, Smith had seven combined tackles and fired Cam Newton for his first of the season. Smith won by 30-24 over a Week 11 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, with a season-high ten combined tackles and dismissed Carson Palmer. Smith missed Weeks 14 and 15 with a high ankle sprain that was originally thought to be a season-ending injury that required surgery. He returned to the Green Bay Packers on December 24, 2016, losing 38-25 and making four solo tackles. He had 91 tackles, two sacks, and two intercepted passes in 14 starts on the season. It was the first season in his career in which he did not have an interception.

Smith and his fellow Vikings, Cordarrelle Patterson, were selected to the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016. This was his second straight Pro Bowl appearance, but first as a first-team member. He was ranked 74th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

Smith will have what could be described as his best season of his career in 2017. Smith made his first interception of the season after a 33-17 win over the Buccaneers in Week 3. Smith intercepted rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky to win 20-17 on Monday Night. Smith sacked Brett Hundley 1.5 times and intercepted a pass intercepted by Hundley in a 23-10 victory over the Packers the following week. Smith had two more interceptions against Hundley in a 16-0 victory, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Pro Football Focus named Smith as the third best player in the NFL. His season average of 98.8 was also the highest among safeties in Pro Football Focus history. On January 22, 2018, he was named first-team All-Pro for his third straight Pro Bowl appearance. He was also named as the Year's Best Defensive Player of the Year. He was ranked 46th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

Smith intercepted a pass thrown by Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 1, but the team's 24-16 win over the San Francisco 49ers earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Smith had 4 tackles and won the game with a big hit late in the 4th quarter to prevent a third-down conversion in week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Smith intercepted a pass from Sam Darnold in Week 7, defeating the Vikings 37-17. Smith intercepted a pass by Drew Brees, which was Brees' first interception of the season, but the Vikings would lose 30-20. Smith was selected to his fourth straight Pro Bowl, three interceptions, and three interceptions on the season, as well as being named a Second-Team All-Pro. Despite Smith's stellar season, the Vikings finished second in the NFC North and missed out on the playoffs with an 8-7-1 record.

Smith made his first interception of the season against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3 – 34-14. Smith intercepted a pass intended for wide receiver Kenny Golladay in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions. Smith intercepted a pass kicked by Philip Rivers in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers and recovered a fumble forced by Danielle Hunter on running back Melvin Gordon during the 39–10 victory. Smith fumbled wide receiver Davante Adams, who was recovered by teammate Eric Kendricks after a 23-10 loss in Week 16 against the Green Bay Packers. Though being selected to his fifth straight Pro Bowl, he finished the year with 85 tackles, a sack, and three interceptions.

The Vikings finished second in the NFC North with a 10-6 record, but the Vikings qualified for the postseason as the NFC's sixth seed. Smith had 11 tackles in the Vikings' 26-20 overtime road upset of the Saints in the Wild Card Round. Smith made 8 tackles in the Divisional Round, when the Vikings lost 27-10 against the eventual NFC champion 49ers.

Smith made his first interception of the season on Week 3 against the Tennessee Titans, defeating Ryan Tannehill during the 31-30 loss. Smith was dismissed after launching a helmet to helmet collision against tight end Jordan Akins in Week 4 against the Houston Texans. The Vikings would defeat 31-23. Smith had his second interception of the season on Week 9 against the Detroit Lions, defeating Chase Daniel in the 34-20 victory. Smith made his second interception against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, this time from a pass throw by Nick Foles during the 19–13 victory. Smith intercepted a pass kicked by Mike Glennon in overtime to set up the Vikings' game-winning field goal against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. Smith's fifth interception of the season was recorded against the Detroit Lions in Week 17 — tying his single season record high) off a pass kicked by Matthew Stafford during the 37–35 victory.

Smith signed a four-year deal extension with the Vikings worth $64 million on August 29, 2021. In a 27-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Smith was fired on Joe Burrow to start the season. After a positive test, Smith was admitted to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on November 7, 2021, resulting in him missing the following two games as an unvaccinated player. On November 17, 2021, he was activated.

Smith was either sacked or an intercept in three games between Weeks 11-14 after being prompted from the Reserve/COVID list. In a 34-31 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers was fired, an intercept from Jimmy Garoppolo, a 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and Ben Roethlisberger was suspended in a 36-28 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite just one interception on the season, Smith set a new career high in tackles with 114, and tied his career high in sacks with three.

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