Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Andre Smith was born January 25, 1987, in Birmingham, Alabama. He is an offensive tackle in the NFL.

Smith was recognized as a unanimous All-American in 2008, as well as the 2008 Outland Trophy winner. He was also considered to be one of the best underclassmen for the 2009 NFL Draft. He was also a first-team All-SEC selection and shared the league's Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs. He led the team with 103 key knockdowns and added seven blocks downfield.

Widely believed to be the best run-blocking tackle in the 2009 NFL Draft, Smith drew comparisons to Jason Peters.

In the 2011 preseason, it was reported that Smith was working out and getting fully fit. It was also reported that in the preseason, he spoke with the Bengals starting left tackle, Andrew Whitworth, about how "it's my time to step up." The 2011 season became Smith's breakout year, and he became the starting right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. He started there in games 1-12 and 15–16, as well as the wild card playoff game, contributing to pass protection that ranked tied for fourth in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed (25).