QB Troy Smith (2006 Heisman Trophy Winner)

[osugrad21]

CBS


Moss heads to Pats, Heisman winner Smith to Ravens

Posted: Sunday April 29, 2007 6:02PM; Updated: Sunday April 29, 2007 6:02PM

Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith was the ninth quarterback taken in the draft -- and the seventh Buckeye.
Steve Grayson/WireImage.com


NEW YORK (AP) -- Troy Smith is taking his Heisman Trophy to Baltimore. Randy Moss is bringing his sinking reputation to New England.
The second day of the NFL draft hardly was without big names and drama. No, Sunday couldn't match the slide of Brady Quinn and the dealing of three 2008 first-round picks. But it had some juicy angles, including Smith, the Ohio State quarterback, going to the Ravens on the final pick of the fifth round. That's 174 picks overall, the ninth quarterback and seventh Buckeye chosen.

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[osugrad21]

SI

Draft Day 2 Snap Judgments

Second-day steals, controversial picks and more

Posted: Sunday April 29, 2007 3:53PM; Updated: Sunday April 29, 2007 6:04PM

NEW YORK -- Musings, observations and the occasional insights from the two-day pick-fest still taking place in Radio City Music Hall:
? It wasn't pretty this weekend for Troy Smith, but the Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State could have done a lot worse than getting the chance to learn a little from Steve McNair in Baltimore. The Ravens ended Smith's humbling draft experience by taking him with the final pick of the fifth round (174th overall). You can't really call it a dramatic plummet, since Smith had been projected as a second-day pick for months.
The positives? In McNair, you'd hope that Smith would have a great mentor and role model, although I don't think anybody ever really credited McNair with being overly helpful to all the younger quarterbacks he has worked with in Tennessee and Baltimore. But remind me to ask Billy Volek and Kyle Boller that the next time I see them.
More importantly for Smith, there's future opportunity for him with the Ravens. With McNair pretty much a year-to-year retirement proposition at this point, and backup Boller expected to be moving on as a free agent in early 2008, the strong-armed Smith has a chance to make himself relevant in Baltimore. But he has to show he can overcome deficiencies some expect he'll have to deal with in the NFL (namely, finding enough throwing lanes despite his lack of prototypical quarterback height).

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[ORD_Buckeye]

It's cruel irony that I will be rooting for the team that Quinn is leading and not the team Troy is leading. That is going to be tough.

Well, at least there won't be the prospect of TS running afoul of the Cleveland fans by failing to deliver them from their championshipless wilderness. Imagine the crueler irony of having to chuck batteries at TS. When BQ's day comes (and it will) Browns fans hatred can be unadulterated.

 

[daddyphatsacs]

Well, at least there won't be the prospect of TS running afoul of the Cleveland fans by failing to deliver them from their championshipless wilderness. Imagine the crueler irony of having to chuck batteries at TS. When BQ's day comes (and it will) Browns fans hatred can be unadulterated.

Isn't that the truth? :)

Anyhow, I think that Baltimore is a good fit for Troy. Best of luck to him.

 

[Buckskin86]

Updated: April 29, 2007
Baltimore a nice landing spot for Smith
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Archive

Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith probably went about a round later than most pundits anticipated, with his name not called until the final selection in the fifth round (pick No. 174 overall), when the Baltimore Ravens ended his free-fall.

But the Ohio State quarterback, the fourth Heisman Trophy winner in the past 10 years to not be chosen in the first round, might actually have fallen into some good fortune.

With 12-year veteran Steve McNair closing in on the end of his career at age 34, and former first-rounder Kyle Boller deemed a bust by Baltimore officials as he enters the final season of his contract, Smith by default unofficially becomes the Ravens' quarterback of the future. And the future might only be another season or two off.



Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy by the second-largest margin in history.The choice of Boller in 2003 notwithstanding, general manager Ozzie Newsome and director of college scouting Ernie DeCosta don't make many mistakes in the draft, even in the middle rounds. Their fifth-round pick from a year ago, safety Dawan Landry, started as a rookie. That won't happen with Smith, of course, but his apprenticeship might not be as long as it would have been with some other franchise.

McNair isn't going to stick around much longer and Boller, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next spring, figures to get an offer from some team that will be tempting enough for him to leave the Ravens after a mostly miserable tenure with the club. The only other quarterback on the roster is Drew Olsen, an undrafted free agent in 2006, and currently playing in NFL Europa.

"It's a great chance for me to learn from two veterans... and we'll just have to see what happens," Smith said. "But I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Smith has very strong arm, his accuracy is much better than people make it out to be, and he has made impressive strides the past couple years. But his lack of size (6-foot, 225 pounds) isn't the best fit for the Baltimore offense as it is currently configured because he probably needs to operate more on the move than in the pocket, so some changes might need to be made. But he'll get solid tutoring from coach Brian Billick and coordinator Rick Neuheisel and will have a chance to develop into a starter.

Newsome, by the way, was one of several general managers trying to move up in the first round for a shot at Brady Quinn as the Notre Dame quarterback continued to tumble. He was not, though, willing to surrender his first-round choice in next year's draft as Cleveland general manager and former Ravens' personnel director Phil Savage did.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft07/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=2853521

It had to be disappointing for Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith to fall to the bottom of the fifth round, but in many ways, he gets a break. Smith, who was drafted by Baltimore, goes to a good offensive system on a winning team. He has no pressure as the third quarterback behind Steve McNair and Kyle Boller. Boller is in the last year of his contract and could be on the way out, which is why Baltimore might be the perfect team. Though Smith is short and not the most accurate quarterback, he has a gun for an arm. At the combine, the velocity of his throws was about the best among all the quarterbacks who worked out. Good coaching could groom him into a possible backup role next season if Boller leaves.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft07/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2853387

 

[sandgk]

The fall to the 5th round does cost Smith big money.
From the NCAA (PowerPoint Presentation)
2006 Average Guarantees

1st Round-- $10,267,000**
2nd Round-- $1,683,000**
3rd Round-- $643,000
4th Round-- $399,000
5th Round-- $151,000
6th Round-- $83,000
7th Round-- $41,000
**includes base salary and signing, roster, and option bonuses

And that is average - which last in round assuredly is not.

Looking at this glass half full, it certainly gives Troy another good reason to assert himself.

Then, after a couple of years or so, make the better money.

 

[CCI]

The fall to the 5th round does cost Smith big money.

Then, after a couple of years or so, make the better money.

I'm sure Teddy will lend a few $$ if he needs it. I doubt if he will need it though

 

[sandgk]

I'm sure Teddy will lend a few $$ if he needs it. I doubt if he will need it though

After agent fees, paying off any loans and of course taxes, that may not leave a huge nut for him to use as walking around money.

 

[NFBuck]

Well, I've been saying all along that I wanted Troy to end up in either Baltimore or Philly...just happened a little later than I had hoped.

I can just about guarantee Troy uses this a motivation to become just that much better. I think the ratbirds got one of the steals of this draft.

 

[Wells4Heisman]

I think hes a potential starter in a few years when hes a veteran.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

OHIO STATE FOOTBALL


Smith thrilled to put on purple



Monday, April 30, 2007 Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter
Troy Smith left the NFL draft party at Glenville High on Saturday as the banquet tables were being folded up, while Antonio Pittman sat through three rounds with his family at an Akron restaurant, shocked to go home without a team. Sunday, the two former Ohio State stars finally found NFL homes.
Smith, the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, fell into what he considered an ideal situation as a fifth-round pick of Baltimore, while Pittman was stunned to join Reggie Bush in the New Orleans backfield as a fourth-rounder. With eight overall draft picks, Ohio State ranked second in the nation behind the nine picks of those pesky Florida Gators.

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Browns pass on Smith only to see him go to division rival
Monday, April 30, 2007
By Todd Porter
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

BEREA In private draft meetings leading up to this past weekend, the Cleveland Browns talked a lot about Troy Smith. Cleveland General Manager Phil Savage liked Smith. He liked that he was from Cleveland. He liked that Smith was 25-3 as a starter at Ohio State and won the Heisman Trophy.

Cleveland didn't like Smith as much as the Ravens. Baltimore used the final pick of the fifth round, No. 174 overall, to draft Smith. He can learn behind Steve McNair, one of Smith's favorite NFL players.


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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Ravens heed Tressel, take Smith in fifth

Monday, April 30, 2007 3:34 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Despite free-falling in the NFL draft, former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith was relentlessly positive yesterday -- and grateful to OSU coach Jim Tressel for a phone call that might have helped him end up in a good place.

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[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Draftniks' scrutiny ensured Smith's tumble

Monday, April 30, 2007 3:33 AM
By bob hunter




Troy Smith is too short at 6 feet to be a good NFL quarterback. Everybody knows that. The half-inch he gives up to Drew Brees, an All-Pro last season, makes a big -- please excuse the adjective -- difference.

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[Buckskin86]

New Raven Smith Will Try to Quiet Critics

By Rich Campbell
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, April 30, 2007

I've watched [Smith] play for two years in many big games," Ravens Director of College Scouting Eric DeCosta said. "I love his poise, he's got a leadership to him that is unique to his position in college football. He's respected. He's got an absolute cannon for an arm. We think he's got an upside to help us and emerge as a backup for us at some point and maybe more than that."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/29/AR2007042900789.html