Andre Smith

Andre Dewayne Smith Jr. (born January 25, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football for the University of Alabama, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens. Early years Smith was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Huffman High School in Birmingham, where he played football and competed in track. In football, he was a three-year starter, a two-time All-State selection, and Class 6A Lineman of the Year in 2005. After registering 88 pancake blocks his senior season, Smith was selected "Mr. Football" by the Alabama Sports Writers Association, becoming the only offensive lineman to ever win the honor in the association's 23-year history. Smith earned High School All-American honors by USA Today and was selected to play in the 2006 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was also one of four finalists for the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy, given to the nation's most athletic high school football player. In addition to football, Smith also participated in track and field at Huffman. As a senior in 2006, Smith competed in the throwing events at the State Track & Field Meet, where he registered throws of 14.81 meters (48'7.25") in the shot put and 39.62 meters in the discus throw (126'8") that earned him sixth and eleventh-place finishes, respectively. Recruiting Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Smith was listed as the No. 1 offensive lineman by both recruiting services. Rivals described him as "one of the most dominant offensive line prospects in the last 10 years," and—after reevaluating their 2005–'09 rankings in February 2009—considered him the best offensive tackle prospect of that period. Mike Farrell of The Sporting News called Smith "the best offensive line prospect since Orlando Pace."