Gary Smith III doesn't hear his name called but signs with the Las Vegas Raiders

Gary Smith III did not hear his name called for the NFL Draft. But he has found a home and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Las Vegas Raiders. Getting a chance to compete for a spot or on the practice squad with the team. Smith III played a key role on the UCLA defense, the last three seasons. Although they really struggled as a unit Smith III is a player that should have the chance to latch on and make some sort of impact in the NFL.

Smith III was not put in the best position at UCLA. There was not much talent on the defense and they had real trouble getting to the quarterback with that lack of talent. Smith III spent two seasons at Duke before hitting the transfer portal. Signing with UCLA and playing the last three seasons with them. He played 31 games with the team and had 78 total tackles, seven tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Smith III has really good size at the defensive tackle position. Coming in at 6’2 and 320 pounds. He is not as tall as others allowing him to bat balls down. But he moves pretty well at 340 pounds. With talent around him, he should get opportunities to fill gaps and help against the run. Raiders are a good landing spot for him as they start their rebuild of their team. Opportunities will be there.

UCLA did not have any players get drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. So, alongside Smith III there was also Garrett DiGiorgio that were undrafted free agents. DiGiorgio ended up signing with the Jacksonville Jaguars. They were the two best players on UCLA in the trenches last season. It will be interesting to see what type of NFL careers both of them have. But we applaud them for sticking through a rough season last year and not giving up on the team.

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