Akili Smith
Lincoln (San Diego, California) | |||||||||||||
College: | Oregon | ||||||||||||
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NFL draft: | 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (born August 21, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (third overall) of the 1999 NFL draft, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind Tim Couch (Cleveland Browns) and Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks.
Smith also played for the Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Frankfurt Galaxy, and Calgary Stampeders.
Early and college years
Given the name Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (in
Smith was drafted by the
Smith was named a Parade Magazine All-American and signed a letter of intent to play at San Diego State, but low test scores meant he had to attend
Smith came to the foreground of draft discussions because of his performance in his senior season at Oregon, throwing 32 touchdown passes in 11 starts. He led the conference in passing yards and the entire NCAA in passing yards per attempt. Smith was named second-team All-American and Pac-10 conference offensive player of the year.
College statistics
Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | ||
1997 | 108 | 200 | 1,385 | 54.0 | 13 | 7 | 89 | 183 | 2 | |
1998 | 215 | 371 | 3,763 | 58.0 | 32 | 8 | 82 | 184 | 4 | |
Total[3] | 323 | 571 | 5,148 | 56.6 | 45 | 15 | 171 | 367 | 6 |
Professional career
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 | Wonderlic
| |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) |
227 lb (103 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.72 s | 1.63 s | 2.73 s | 4.29 s | 6.99 s | 34 in (0.86 m) |
9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) |
37 | |
All values from |
Cincinnati Bengals
In the 1999 NFL draft, a year in which five quarterbacks were drafted in the first round, Smith was the third quarterback and third player selected overall, by the Cincinnati Bengals. Smith scored a 16 out of 50 on the NFL-administered Wonderlic test when he first took the exam in 1998. His agent Leigh Steinberg hired a tutor to help improve his score for the 1999 scouting combine, and he scored a 37 on the second try.[1]
Prior to the draft, there was an effort by New Orleans Saints' head coach Mike Ditka and management to get the Cincinnati Bengals' high draft position so the Saints could get Ricky Williams. The final offer, which was refused by Bengals management, was for nine draft picks, several extra in that year as well as many the next year. Instead of taking the trade, the Bengals stayed with their initial decision to draft Smith,[6] who, while athletic (he had also played two years of minor-league baseball and ran a 4.66 40-yard dash[7]), was still largely unproven, having only succeeded at the college level for one season.
Smith missed a large portion of
Despite showing athleticism in his early games, he failed to grasp the Bengals playbook fully and never established himself with the team. His offensive coordinator from 2001 to 2002, Bob Bratkowski, said Smith "wasn't as diligent as he should have been" regarding his film and playbook study habits.[9] During the four years he was with the Bengals, he started in only 17 games and threw just five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, eventually leading to his release on May 31, 2003, after riding the bench mostly during the previous two years.
Later career
In
On April 28,
NFL career statistics
Year | Team | GP | Passing | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Fum | |||
1999 | CIN | 7 | 80 | 153 | 52.3 | 805 | 5.3 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 55.6 | 2 |
2000 | CIN | 12 | 118 | 267 | 44.2 | 1,253 | 4.7 | 46 | 3 | 6 | 52.9 | 10 |
2001 | CIN | 2 | 5 | 8 | 62.5 | 37 | 4.6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 73.4 | 0 |
2002 | CIN | 1 | 12 | 33 | 36.4 | 117 | 3.6 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 34.5 | 1 |
Career[12] | 22 | 215 | 461 | 46.6 | 2,212 | 4.8 | 46 | 5 | 13 | 52.8 | 13 |
Post-football career
After retiring from football, Smith was the quarterbacks coach for
In March 2010, Smith joined the University of California's football staff as a graduate assistant to work with the offense. Cal head coach Jeff Tedford previously coached Smith at Oregon when he was offensive coordinator.[14]
In 2012, Smith took over as quarterbacks coach for
In June 2020, Smith was hired onto the coaching staff at Maranatha High School in Pasadena, California.[18]
This article needs to be updated.(April 2021) |
References
- ^ a b c Hobson, Geoff (April 25, 1999). "Like father, like Akili". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Special Feature on Lincoln High School's History". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved September 28, 2007.
- ^ "Akili Smith". sports-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Akili Smith, DS #4 QB, Oregon". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Akili Smith, Combine Results, QB - Oregon". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
- ^ "1999 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Akili Smith, DS #4 QB, Oregon". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
- ^ Sullivan, Tim (August 25, 1999). "Big payday could be Akili's heel". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Sullivan, Tim (April 25, 2009). "A decade of hindsight guides former NFL QB Akili Smith". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Tight end Tyrone Davis also released". ESPN.com. ESPN. August 26, 2003.
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len (April 28, 2007). "Smith, out of NFL for two years, signs in CFL". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "Akili Smith Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
- ^ Sports Illustrated, July 2009, "Where Are They Now?: Akili Smith"
- ^ "Smith hired to work with offense". ESPN.com. March 13, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- ^ "St. Augustine receives boost from former NFL quarterback". Retrieved November 5, 2012.
- ^ Olivieri, Anthony. "Former draft bust Akili Smith has a surprising new path". Yahoo!Sports. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
- ^ Greif, Andrew (September 12, 2014). "Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Akili Smith on Marcus Mariota: 'The kid is absolutely flawless'". OregonLive.com. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
- ^ "Former NFL Quarterback Akili Smith Joins Football Staff at Maranatha High School – Pasadena Now".
Further reading
- King, Peter (April 19, 1999). "A Bone to Pick". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
External links
- Akili Smith at The Football Database
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)