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Daryl Smith

 
Height:  6-2
Weight:  242
Position: Linebacker
College: Georgia Tech
Born:  April 14, 1982
 
Daryl has given a lift to the Jacksonville Jaguars defense from the day he was drafted out of Georgia Tech.  Smith, a second round selection (39th overall) by the Jaguars in the 2004 NFL draft has helped Jacksonville's defense become one of the strongest units in the league.  He came in and saw action right away as he started 13 of 16 contests his rookie season, compiling 44 tackles and two sacks.  The native of Albany, Georgia, began to display his skills on the football field for Dougherty County High School in Albany.  He was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Top 75 in Georgia as he notched 103 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions as a senior.  This was after a junior season in which he amassed 117 tackles and seven sacks.  Daryl played in the Georgia-Florida All-Star Game and also lettered in baseball for the Trojans.  Smith chose to stay in Georgia for college, and played for Georgia Tech.  He thrived for the Yellowjackets and continued to receive awards and accolades for his play.  The top tackler for the Yellowjackets for two of his four seasons, Daryl was named to the 2002 Academic All-ACC football, was named a permanent captain for Tech for 2003, and was selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl following his senior season.  He ranks fourth in Tech history, and tops in linebackers for career tackles for loss and his second round selection in the 2004 draft by the Jaguars is the highest selection of a Tech player since 1998.
 
Daryl's Career Highlights
 
Pro Career
 
Check out video highlights for Daryl Smith on NFL.com.
 
2008:
  • Started 14 games before going on injured reserve Dec. 16 with a groin injury
  • Served as team captain
  • Did not miss a snap in nine of 14 games and had at least nine tackles in eight games
  • Started first eight games at OLB before moving to MLB for six games
  • Ranked second on the team with 130 tackles (89 solo) along with 2.5 sacks, four passes defensed, four tackles, seven QB pressures and one forced fumble
  • 9/7 at TEN: Did not miss a snap in season-opener and recorded six tackles
  • 9/21 at IND: Posted first sack of season on Peyton Manning
  • 9/28 at HOU: Led team with a season-high 16 tackles along with one pass defensed and one forced fumble
  • Led team with 11 tackles on 10/5 vs. PIT and nine tackles on 10/12 at DEN
  • Had seven tackles apiece on 10/26 vs. CLE and 11/2 at CIN
  • 11/9 at DET: Made first start of the season at MLB and led team with 13 tackles and two for a loss. Tied for team lead with 1.5 sacks. Split a sack of Daunte Culpepper with Derrick Harvey in the third quarter and dropped Drew Stanton in the fourth quarter
  • 11/16 vs. TEN: Started at MLB and made team-high 10 tackles
  • 11/23 vs. MIN: Finished with team-high nine tackles and notched fourth consecutive season with at least 100 tackles
  • 12/7 at CHI: Led team with 12 tackles and one for a loss
  • 12/14 vs. GB: Registered a team-high 12 tackles but left game in the fourth quarter with a groin strain and did not return. Was placed on injured reserve two days later
 
2007:
  • Started the first 15 games of the season before being rested in the regular season finale at Houston
  • Started both playoff games
  • After beginning the first 10 games of the season at OLB moved to MLB after season-ending injury to Mike Peterson
  • Ranked second on the team with 117 tackles (79 solo) and tops with six tackles for a loss
  • Added 1.5 sacks, eight passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and scored his first career touchdown on a fumble recovery against Houston
  • Surpassed 100 tackles for the third consecutive season
  • 9/9 vs. TEN: Started at OLB and recorded a team-high two tackles for loss and was second on the team with 12 tackles
  • 9/23 at DEN: Started at OLB and recorded five solo tackles while playing in his 50th career game
  • 10/14 vs. HOU: Started at OLB and recorded career game. Tallied nine tackles (four solo) and recovered a fumble for 77 yards to score his first career touchdown. Started 50th career game
  • 10/22 vs. IND: Started at OLB and recorded 10 tackles (seven solo) and one quarterback pressure
  • 11/25 vs. BUF: Made first start of the season at MLB replacing injured Mike Peterson. Led team with 12 tackles (10 solo)
  • 12/2 at IND: Started at MLB and recorded 10 tackles (eight solo) with two tackles for loss. Split sack of Peyton Manning with Paul Spicer
  • 12/9 vs. CAR: Started at MLB and led team with 10 tackles (eight solo), one sack and two passes defensed. Also recovered a fumble forced by John Henderson which led to a touchdown. Sacked Vinny Testaverde in the fourth quarter for a six-yard loss. Played in his 60th career game
  • 12/23 vs. OAK: Started at MLB and recorded seven tackles (six solo), one for a loss and one quarterback pressure. Made his 60th career start in Jacksonville
  • 1/5 at PIT: Started at MLB in the Wild-Card playoff game and finished third on the team with 11 tackles (seven solo) and one for a loss
  • 1/12 at NE: Started at MLB in the Divisional playoff game and led the team with 15 tackles (11 solo)
  • The 15 tackles tied for the fourth most in team postseason history 
 
2006:
 
  • Started all 16 games with six at OLB and 10 at MLB
  • Moved from the outside to the middle due to a season-ending injury to Mike Peterson
  • Led team with a career-high 170 tackles (107 solo), three sacks, one interception and one forced fumble
  • Recorded double-digit tackles in nine games, including 17 tackles in two games (Nov. 12 vs. Houston; Dec. 10 vs. Indianapolis)
  •  Had nine tackles on Sept. 18 vs. Pittsburgh and Sept. 24 at Indianapolis
  • Made first start at MLB on Oct. 22 at Houston and registered a team-high 16 tackles, one for a loss, one quarterback pressure and one pass defensed
  • Followed with 12 tackles (seven solo) on Oct. 29 at Philadelphia
  • On Nov. 12 vs. Houston, made season-high 17 tackles along with one sack and one forced fumble
  • Led team with 10 tackles (six solo) on Nov. 20 vs. New York Giants
  • Posted team-high 17 tackles on Dec. 10 vs. Indianapolis and recorded a sack of RB Joseph Addai on an attempted pass play
  • Led team with 12 tackles (nine solo) along with one sack and one interception on Dec. 31 at Kansas City as he intercepted Trent Green in the third quarter.
 
2005:
 
  • Started all 16 games in second NFL season
  • Ranked second on the team behind LB Mike Peterson (190) with a career-high 117 tackles (68 solo)
  • Led team with seven tackles for loss and registered career-high four sacks
  • In season-opener against Seattle on Sept. 11, made crucial interception in the fourth quarter and finished with five tackles (4 solo), one pass defensed and one quarterback pressure
  • Played all 58 snaps at New York Jets on Sept. 25 and had seven tackles (6 solo)
  • Had best all-around game on Oct. 9 against Cincinnati with nine tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one quarterback pressure. Picked up sack of Carson Palmer with 1:28 remaining in the game and forced a fumble to seal the victory
  • Made nine tackles for the second consecutive game and a team-high two tackles for loss at Pittsburgh on Oct. 16
  • Registered 10 tackles along with one sack against Houston on Nov. 6
  • Posted 12 tackles in 50 plays against Baltimore on Nov. 13
  • Had one sack at Cleveland on Dec. 4
  • Recorded a career-high 18 tackles (10 solo) at Houston on Dec. 24
  • Started at OLB at New England on Jan. 7 in AFC Wild Card Game and finished with eight solo tackles and one sack
2004:
 
  • Fast, playmaking linebacker who has displayed the physical and mental ability to play all three linebacker positions
  • Made 13 starts as a rookie in 2004, tying for third-most in team history
  • Ranked eighth on the team with 78 tackles, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery
  • Started 13 games and played in 15
  • Was slowed by a knee injury in the middle of the season, but still managed to finish eighth on the team in tackles with 78, and record two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery
  • Started at outside linebacker in his first NFL game Sept. 12 at Buffalo and collected eight tackles
  • Grabbed first career interception Oct. 3 vs. Indianapolis off Peyton Manning
  • Made nine tackles including the first sack and safety of his career Dec. 12 vs. Chicago
  • Totaled five tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery Dec. 19 at Green Bay
  • Notched a season-high 11 tackles, three pass defensed, including one in the endzone in the fourth quarter that saved a game-tying touchdown in the season finale Jan. 2 at Oakland 
College Career:
 
  • Captain who led the team in tackles twice in four seasons
  • Played most of 2002 with a dislocated elbow
  • Started 44 of 46 games, recording 383 tackles (207 solos) with 15 sacks for minus 72 yards, 48 stops for losses of 123 yards, three interceptions for 89 yards in returns, 12 pass deflections, four fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles
  • 383 tackles rank 11th on the school’s all-time record list
  • All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention as a senior
  • Served as team captain at middle linebacker
  • Finished second on the team with a career-high 129 tackles
  • Had 3.5 sacks, 17 stops for losses and a quarterback pressure
  • Recovered a fumble and caused two others
  • Deflected a pair of passes
  • Made at least 10 tackles in seven contests
  • Majored in biology