Former NC State football defensive end James Smith-Williams has always been known for his wisdom and maturity-level that goes beyond his years.

Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren once recalled when recruiting Smith-Williams out of Millbrook High in Raleigh how the prospect stood out in that regard.

“He was a lot further along than most people are — probably even 30 years old are — mentally when he was in high school,” Doeren remembered.

Thus, it is not surprising that Smith-Williams has taken the approach in the lead-up to the NFL Draft, which starts next Thursday, that he is fortunate. While Smith-Williams understands that he would probably be a day three pick — rounds four through seven — if selected, he does not focus on the missed opportunities from not having a pro day or having a chance to do workouts in person.

“I think I have been lucky in terms that I got a senior all-star game and got the combine to go out and run,” Smith-Williams said. “I was very lucky in that regard.”

Smith-Williams hopes that between that and the fact that he played in a Power Five conference is enough film and study for NFL teams to make up their minds. He speculated he has met with probably half the teams in the league via Zoom meetings and FaceTime. That group included that Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Indianapolis Colts, the teams that Smith-Williams could remember off the top of his head.

Smith-Williams entered the 2020 season with high expectations. He went from a 196-pound high school defensive end, where he set the Millbrook season-record with 19 sacks as a senior, to a nickel when he arrived at NC State. The Wolfpack wanted to see if they could use his speed there after he was timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.53 seconds during a NC State summer camp.

After nickel, NC State tried him at weakside linebacker, and then finally they bulked him up into a defensive end. By the end of his redshirt junior season, Smith-Williams was pushing 270 pounds and maintaining his freakish athleticism. He also was coming off a nice first season as a starter, making 9.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

His fifth-year senior season did not go as planned however. He played in seven games and had 20 tackles, with one sack, and a team-leading seven quarterback hurries while dealing with injuries and a new defense. Smith-Williams though said he has not had to answer too many questions about why the drop-off.

“No one has come across to me that way, and if they did I wouldn’t make excuses for it," Smith-Williams said. "You have to make plays regardless.”

One question scouts definitely won’t have for Smith-Williams is his athleticism. He proved that when he, after checking in at 265 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds at the NFL combine, fastest among defensive linemen. He did with a bleeding elbow, too. He had hit his arm on the vertical jump bar and opened a gash that quickly swelled up.

Smith-Williams put that aside when he lined up for the sprint.

“I don’t think people realize how awkward an environment that the combine was,” Smith-Williams noted. “There’s nobody there, nobody cheering. It’s an empty stadium. It’s very weird. There’s no energy, so you kind of create your own juice.

“You have no idea [what you run]. No one tells you. That was a cool deal. Going in I wanted to run the 4.5, but obviously 4.6 flat at 265 isn’t that bad, either.”

Smith-Williams was excited about NC State’s pro day because quite a few defensive line coaches were coming, especially since fellow Wolfpack defensive lineman Larrell Murchison is also projected to be drafted in the middle rounds. Some had set up dinners and meetings with Smith-Williams before everything was canceled.

Other teams have talked to him about perhaps losing a few pounds and seeing if he could be an outside linebacker.

“James has also gotten a lot of reviews as an outside linebacker in a 3-4, or as an edge player on third down,” Doeren noted. “People were blown away by the way he ran at the combine and the way he interviews, which I know none of you guys are surprised by that.”

Smith-Williams recalled feeling a sense of inevitably that the pro day was doomed when events were being called off, and he knows everything has been different from what many of his former teammates, including former fellow defensive linemen, have gone through.

Nevertheless, Smith-Williams is excited about next week.

“I don’t think I ever get too nervous,” he noted.

That might be because Smith-Williams has always been wiser beyond his years.

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