Hayden Smith Looks to Make His Mark

In now his second NFL training camp, Jets tight end Hayden Smith will have to learn an entirely new offense.

With Tony Sparano out and new offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg in, every Jets offensive player will have to learn and adapt to the new system.  Hayden Smith however, will be challenged more than most.

Smith is the only player on the roster who is still learning the basics of the sport. Smith never played college football. He never played high school football. Smith never even played Pop Warner. So how did someone who has never played the game of football end up on an NFL roster? Well, he thought it might be fun.

“There was always something in the back of my head, I’ve always wanted to give football a go,” Smith said in an interview with Jets.com. “It was a burning feeling, and I just felt like that window of opportunity for me to be able to do that was slowly closing.”

Smith, a former professional rugby player turned NFL tight end has always been an incredible athlete. A native of Australia, Smith came to the U.S. in 2003 when he got an opportunity to play college basketball at the New York Institute of Technology. He later transferred to Metro State College in Colorado, where he switched his allegiance from basketball to rugby. Scouts decided his talents were extraordinary, and so Smith found himself playing rugby for the US national team just weeks after picking up the sport.  After completing his degree in finance, Smith began playing for a local rugby club, the Denver Barbarians.

In 2008, Smith had garnered enough experience to take his rugby talents to Europe, and began playing for Saracens FC, a London based English premiere league team.  As a member of Saracens, Smith was lucky enough to win the premiership and participate in the Heineken cup, Europe’s highest level of competition.

After four years of playing rugby overseas, Smith decided that it was time he come back to the United States, and try his hand at professional football.  Smith’s physical abilities caught the eye of several teams. He worked out for the Jets, Redskins, Saints, Eagles, and Cowboys, before the Jets signed him on April 3, 2012. By late October, Smith was promoted from the Jets practice squad to their active roster.

On December 23, Smith caught a 16-yard pass from quarterback Greg McElroy in a week 16 loss to the Chargers. This was Smith’s first NFL reception – a sign that he had officially arrived in the NFL.  Although it remains Smith’s only catch to date, his status with the team has the potential to change rather quickly. Smith has shown great hands in practice thus far in 2013. His coaches and teammates, including QB Mark Sanchez, have been impressed with some of Smith’s circus catches in mini-camp, and his 6-foot 6-inch 255-pound frame make him an ideal blocking tight end.

Hayden Smith finds himself in the perfect situation for an up and coming player. The Jets come in to 2013 with plenty of question marks at tight end. Four-year starter Dustin Keller is gone to free agency, signing a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins. The 29-year-old veteran Kellen Winslow, has had a career plagued with injuries, and if Winslow goes down, Hayden Smith could receive serious consideration for extended playing time. Of course Smith is also competing with TE’s Jeff Cumberland and Konrad Reuland. However, neither Cumberland nor Reuland have played consistently enough to stave off an eager Hayden Smith.

This season is a make-or-break one for Smith. With his rookie season now in the rear view mirror, Smith can finally focus on executing plays with confidence. Last year, Smith was a victim of inexperience, hesitating just that first moment, wondering if he was in the right place. This year, Smith knows exactly where he needs to be and what he needs to be doing on any given drill. With a newly developed knowledge of the games nuances, Smith’s pure athleticism can shine through.

“Coming in the second time around, not having to worry about the game of football itself, it takes a lot of the thinking out of it,” Smith told SNY.tv . “That was always going to be the challenge early on, getting comfortable with the sport. Now I feel like I’m at the stage where I can just concentrate on execution rather than the bigger things.”

Hayden Smith will look to make his mark on the NFL in 2013.