Irv Smith Jr.

American football player (born 1998)

American football player
Irv Smith Jr.
refer to caption
Smith in 2021
No. 83 – Houston Texans
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1998-08-09) August 9, 1998 (age 26)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:Brother Martin (New Orleans, Louisiana)
College:Alabama (2016–2018)
NFL draft:2019 / round: 2 / pick: 50
Career history
  • Minnesota Vikings (2019–2022)
  • Cincinnati Bengals (2023)
  • Kansas City Chiefs (2024)*
  • Houston Texans (2024–present)*
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:109
Receiving yards:973
Receiving touchdowns:10
Player stats at PFR

Irvin Martin Smith Jr. (born August 9, 1998) is an American professional football tight end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted in second round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Early life

Smith 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 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 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

Season Team GP Rec Yds Avg TD
2017 Alabama 9 14 128 9.1 3
2018 Alabama 15 44 710 16.1 7
Career 24 58 838 14.4 10

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 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 1.68 s 2.74 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][8]

Minnesota Vikings

Smith Jr. in 2020

2019

Smith was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.[9] Smith made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons but did not record any meaningful statistics.[10] He recorded his first reception in the next game against the Green Bay Packers.[11] He recorded a season-high and team-leading 60 receiving yards on three receptions against the Oakland Raiders in the following game.[12] He scored his first touchdown in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos on a 10-yard reception from Kirk Cousins.[13] 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.[14]

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.[15] In Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Day, Smith had two receiving touchdowns during the 52–33 loss.[16] He finished the 2020 season with 30 receptions for 365 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 13 games and seven starts.[17]

2021

On September 1, 2021, it was revealed that Smith underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, which prevented him from playing for the entire 2021 season.[18] He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2021.[19]

2022

On November 1, 2022, Smith was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in the Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals.[20] In the 2022 season, Smith had 25 receptions for 182 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in eight games and one start.[21] He was activated on January 7, 2023. During the Vikings' Wild Card Round loss to the New York Giants, Smith had a receiving touchdown.[22]

Cincinnati Bengals

On March 30, 2023, Smith signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.[23] He was named the starting tight end on the depth chart to begin the season.[24] Smith suffered a hamstring injury during the Bengals' Week 3 win against the Los Angeles Rams.[25]

He caught his first touchdown pass of the season in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.[26] He appeared in 12 games in the 2023 season. He had 18 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.[27]

Kansas City Chiefs

Smith signed with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 14, 2024.[28] He was released on August 27.[29]

Personal life

Smith's father, Irv Sr., played tight end in the NFL for nine seasons.[30]

Career NFL statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 MIN 16 7 47 36 311 8.6 29 2 1 0
2020 MIN 13 7 43 30 365 12.2 36 5 0 0
2021 MIN DNP
2022 MIN 8 1 36 25 182 7.3 17 2 1 1
2023 CIN 12 6 26 18 115 6.4 14 1 1 1
Career 49 21 152 109 973 8.9 36 10 3 2

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2019 MIN 2 1 3 3 39 13.0 21 0 0 0
2022 MIN 1 0 2 1 3 3.0 3 1 0 0
Career 3 1 5 4 42 8.0 21 1 0 0

References

  1. ^ Lopez, Andrew (January 22, 2016). "Brother Martin tight end Irvin Smith de-commits from Texas A&M, could visit LSU". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  2. ^ Lopez, Andrew (February 4, 2016). "Brother Martin tight end Irvin Smith signs with Alabama". NOLA.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Williams, Darrell (December 30, 2017). "Brother Martin alum Irv Smith's New Orleans homecoming with Alabama as sweet as sugar". The Advocate. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  4. ^ Paschall, David (October 12, 2018). "Tight end Irv Smith Jr. an integral part of Alabama's big-play offense". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Byington, Alex (November 3, 2018). "Improved blocking from tight end Smith Jr. has expanded his game, Tide offense". Montgomery Advertiser. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  6. ^ Scarborough, Alex (January 11, 2019). "Quinnen Williams, Jonah Williams among four from Alabama going pro". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  7. ^ "Irv Smith Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  8. ^ "Irv Smith Jr., Alabama, TE, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Peters, Craig (April 26, 2019). "Vikings Draft Irv Smith Jr. in 2nd Round of 2019 NFL Draft". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings - September 8th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  11. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers - September 15th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  12. ^ "Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings - September 22nd, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  13. ^ "Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings - November 17th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  14. ^ "Irv Smith 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings - November 8th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints - December 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  17. ^ "Irv Smith Jr. 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  18. ^ Cronin, Courtney (September 1, 2021). "Irv Smith Jr. has meniscus surgery, out indefinitely". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  19. ^ Peters, Craig (September 1, 2021). "Vikings Claim TE Ben Ellefson & Sign 14 to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Peters, Craig (November 1, 2022). "Vikings Acquire TE T.J. Hockenson; Place Smith on IR". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "Irv Smith Jr. 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  22. ^ "Wild Card - New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings - January 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Bengals Sign Irv Smith Jr". Bengals.com. March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  24. ^ Roling, Chris (September 6, 2023). "Bengals reveal first depth chart of 2023 season ahead of Week 1 vs. Browns". Bengals Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  25. ^ Shelton, Cole (October 5, 2023). "Irv Smith Jr. injury update: Latest on Bengals TE for Week 5". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  26. ^ Clark, Dave (November 5, 2023). "Irv Smith Jr, Cincinnati TE, opens Buffalo game with his first touchdown as a Bengal". The Enquirer. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  27. ^ "Irv Smith Jr. 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  28. ^ McMullen, Matt (March 14, 2024). "Five Things to Know About New Chiefs TE Irv Smith Jr". Kansas City Chiefs. Archived from the original on March 14, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  29. ^ Alper, Josh (August 27, 2024). "Chiefs release Irv Smith Jr., waive Louis Rees-Zammit in cut to 53 players". Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  30. ^ Zenitz, Matt (July 3, 2017). "Promising Alabama tight end following in father's footsteps". AL.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Irv Smith Jr..
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