Draft day can be plenty of fun. The earlier you’re picked, the quicker the high fives start flyin’.
As a linebacker in his senior year at Angelo State in Texas, Blair Smith registered 100 tackles in 12 games playing beside an all-American teammate.
“I definitely thought I’d put in a senior year that would get some attention,” said Smith.
So, come the 2015 CFL Draft, Smith figured he’d be a shoo-in as a mid-round pick.
Family and friends gathered in Toronto, waiting for what promised to be an early celebration. Then they waited some more.
By the time there were only three slots to be filled, Smith started wondering what he would do if he somehow became the forgotten man.
That’s when the Edmonton used their seventh-round pick.
Devon Bailey (left) and Blair Smith both joined the Green and Gold via the CFL Draft.
Often, late-round picks become the first casualties at training camp, but Smith used the near-death experience to motivate himself and to become an impact player in the latter part of his rookie season.
It could well turn out that Smith will emerge as a star in the CFL if the chips continue to fall the right way for him.
Draft day? He can laugh about it now, but at the time …
“It was definitely exciting and something I was looking forward to for a long time,” Smith said. “I’ve always wanted to play football growing up, so it was the culmination of a lot of hard work goal-setting and all that. It was a bit of relief to get to the moment.
“After the combine happened, actually waiting for the draft to come along, there definitely was a long anxiety.”
Little did he know the fun was about to begin.
“It was finally here and each day felt like forever,” Smith said. “My expectations were somewhere around middle rounds. I started seeing names drop off the board. You see other guys, compare yourself to other guys and where they’re going. You find yourself guessing, playing a game in your own head.
“It was kind of tough. I had my whole family around and a whole bunch of guys I played with and who had come to the combine. I had lots of support around me.
“Around the fifth and sixth round, I started getting really, really anxious. It reached a peak level mid-way through the seventh round.”
The thought rushed through his head that he may not even be drafted.
“ I was just about to text my agent, like what do we do now?” Smith said. “I was in the middle of texting when I got the call. It was just a huge relief and not at all what I expected going in. Now, I was at the point where I was just happy to have that opportunity. I though I’d just make the best of it and it turned out to be a fantastic year.”
Being a Grey Cup winner in his rookie year aside, once Smith found his groove, he became a special teams beast for the Eskimos.
He did not record his first special teams tackle until Week 11 against Calgary. Over an eight-game stretch, Smith posted up 19 special teams tackles, two shy of breaking into the Eskimos all-time Top 10 list.
“I couldn’t be happier with my first year,” Smith said. “I was just hungry. You see a lot of guys get their opportunities, they’ve been waiting in the wings and there’s an explosion after a lot of angst built up. Definitely, there was a chip on my shoulder going into the year. I had to show people I belonged here. Obviously, eight other teams doubted me and I wanted to prove to the Eskimos and show the rest of the league I belonged.”
As the season wore on, Smith realized just what a talented group the Eskimos special teams unit were and he was happy to be part of it.
“Our team is so awesome,” Smith said. “Everybody is out there just flying around and make plays. It’s fun having that trust out there. You have guys like Deon Lacey, Mike Miller, Ryan King, it’s endless. Mathieu Boulay. When we have our special teams meetings, it’s a sick core of players, top to bottom.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more and I even got a ring my first year.”
Smith stayed in Edmonton during this off-season and found himself a job in a national sporting good chain while continuing to train for the upcoming season.
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