ROUND FOUR

Elerson Smith • EDGE • Northern Iowa

- John Fennelly

The New York Giants selected Northern Iowa defensive end, Elerson Smith, with the 116th pick in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The selection came as a bit of a surprise to many, who were expecting the Giants to take either an offensive lineman or perhaps even a running back with that selection.

The 6-foot-7, 252-pound Smith is seen as a bit of a project whose traits fit that of a 4-3 defensive end than a 3-4 down lineman. At 6-foot-7 he does not quite fit as a three-down outside linebacker either.

Smith entered college at just 215 pounds and has played very little football in his time at UNI. He redshirted his freshman year and then did not play any games the next season as a redshirt freshman. As a redshirt sophomore, Smith made only 19 tackles but 10.5 of those tackles went for a loss and 7.5 of them were sacks.

In his junior campaign, Smith recorded 63 total tackles with 14 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles. He was named First Team All-MVFC and earned First Team FCS All-American honors.