The New York Jets recently signed former South Carolina State linebacker Aaron “Boog” Smith as an undrafted free agent. Today we break Smith down in detail.

The 22-year old Smith is listed at 6’2” and 230 pounds and was an all-MEAC first-team selection last season after racking up 95 tackles. He was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs.

Background

Smith was a two-star wide receiver prospect coming out of high school, but his first season at SC State was disrupted by the pandemic in 2020, as he made the transition to the defensive side of the ball.

In 2021, he played in a rotational role, registering 22 tackles and an interception in 11 games as he earned his first career start in the season finale.

From 2022 onwards, he was a full-time starter, racking up 50 tackles, eight tackles for loss and three sacks in his first year within that role. He posted similar numbers in 2023 with 45 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks and earned all-MEAC second-team recognition.

2024 saw him earn first team recognition as he had 95 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and an interception.

At the end of the 2024 season Smith was invited to Shrine Bowl week, although he was unable to participate due to injury. However, based on conversations with teams at his pro day, Smith learned that multiple teams had a mid-round grade on him.

After Smith went undrafted, the Jets signed him to an undrafted free agent deal with $75K of guaranteed money.

Let’s move on to some more in-depth analysis of what Smith brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.

Measurables/Athleticism

Smith, who has slightly below average size and length, had a solid pro day, which saw him impress scouts as he was clocked at 4.58 in the 40-yard dash (although the official time released was 4.69).

He posted some other good numbers with a 35-inch vertical, 123-inch broad jump and 25 bench press reps. However, his agility numbers were slightly below average.

Usage

Smith primarily had the middle linebacker role and control of the headset in his last two years with the Bulldogs, although he played the Will linebacker role in 2022 and worked in both in 2023.

2024 saw him matching up in the slot more often and creeping up to the edge of the line a lot less than in the past.

As noted, he played wide receiver in high school.

Run defense

Smith has been a productive run defender, especially in his final season. He will need to get better at avoiding or shedding blocks, but he can attack the line of scrimmage aggressively to make plays and is good in pursuit.

Coverage skills

Smith gave up a catch on 80 percent of his targets over the course of his career, but that was a product of him typically being employed underneath to limit yardage after the catch on short passes.

He did give up seven touchdowns in coverage in his career as he was occasionally guilty of letting his man get behind him in zone coverages.

While his positional sense was typically good, there were some occasions where his awareness seemed to be lacking.

Having said that, Smith made some dramatic improvements to his coverage numbers over his last two seasons. He entered the 2023 season having given up 19.2 yards per catch during his career, but this dropped to 9.1 over his last two seasons.

Smith has shown an ability to latch onto and stay with a receiver coming across the field or to drop off and jump routes.

In terms of his playmaking, his on-ball numbers were underwhelming, with just a handful of passes defensed in his career, although two of these were interceptions.

Tackling

Tackle efficiency is another area where Smith showed some improvement later on in his career. He missed 13 tackles in 2022 but only 10 in 2023 and 2024 combined.

He has good range from sideline-to-sideline, usually takes good angles and displays impressive closing speed in pursuit.

Despite being productive as a tackler, Smith only had one forced fumble in his career and would at times drag his man down rather than stopping him in his tracks.

Blitzing

Smith had eight career sacks and a good pressure rate, although this is somewhat misleading because much of this production came from spying quarterbacks and then closing to stop them behind the line rather than rushing the passer. He did have some success blitzing though.

Special teams

Special teams is an area where Smith has had good production and is willing to make a contribution. He played over 500 special teams snaps in college and racked up 17 tackles in coverage.

He covered kickoffs and blocked on the kick return unit in 2021 but, for the rest of his career, he mostly just rushed kicks and punts while also showcasing his athleticism in his ability to get downfield on punts.

Despite his solid production, Smith also had several missed tackles and one penalty on special teams.

Physicality

Smith has a strong frame and brings good physicality at times, but he is generally better when kept clean rather than having to try to avoid or shed blocks. He’s more effective at using his speed to avoid or slip past blocks than taking them on and then shedding.

He was penalized once for defensive pass interference in 2023.

Instincts/Intelligence

Smith has shown versatility and flexibility by playing two different linebacker positions with the Bulldogs. Furthermore, he had to learn three different systems in three years. This should give him a good foundation to get to grips with Steve Wilks’ system in short order.

While some scouting reports suggest his play recognition needs work, there are plenty of examples on film of him making decisive reads or not being fooled by misdirection.

However, in the passing game, there have been some plays where there were blown coverages because the communication was off or he was slow to react.

Attitude

Smith is a man of faith who admits that he wasn’t very athletic when he first started playing football, but his work ethic enabled him to get into shape. He also admits he grew up a lot mentally in his final season as he took on more of a leadership role.

His on-field disciple was good with just six defensive penalties in his career including only one in his final season, although there was one incident where he made a play, got in his opponent’s face and drew a personal foul, then danced to celebrate. That’s maybe an insight into his confidence and character but NFL officials easily could have viewed a play like that differently and flagged him for taunting.

Injuries

Injuries weren’t a big concern for Smith during his career, although he was nursing a quad injury at the end of last season and opted not to participate in Shrine Bowl week as a result.

Scheme Fit

Smith’s development seems to have coincided with him moving into the middle linebacker role, so he probably slots in behind Kiko Mauigoa as the third-stringer behind Jamien Sherwood.

The fact that he also played the Will position as well may improve his chances of getting rotational reps if he can make the roster at any point.

Conclusions

Smith is an athletic linebacker with good potential and joins a Jets team that is lacking in experienced depth and players that are signed long-term. While, if all goes well, Sherwood and Quincy Williams should get most of the linebacker reps, the potential for Smith to compete with everyone else to be the next man up is there.

If he can pick up the system quickly and learn better technique in terms of taking on and shedding blocks, Smith could develop well with the Jets. The fact he has been a productive special teamer in college gives him a shot at giving the team a reason to keep him around. Realistically, though, he has a low guarantee, so he’s going to need to fight for a spot. The good news for Smith is that nobody ahead of him is that established. However, if the Jets shore up their rotation by adding an experienced veteran closer to the season, his chances of earning a spot could drop off.