Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Elerson Smith was born July 1998, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Minneapolis South High School.

Smith redshirted his true freshman season and did not play in any games as a redshirt freshman. He started seeing playing time as a redshirt sophomore and finished the season with 19 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Smith was named first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference and a first-team FCS All-American by the AFCA after recording 63 total tackles, 14 sacks, 21.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles. Smith was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year before announcing that he would forgo his redshirt senior season, which was to be played in the spring due to Covid-19, and prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. Smith played in the 2021 Senior Bowl. Smith was selected in the fourth round with the 116th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.