STARKVILLE — Preston Smith never had a day off.
That exactly the way the Mississippi State football team’s senior defensive lineman wanted it.
Smith, the team leader in sacks and tackles for loss in 2014, didn’t return from Florida following a 49-34 loss to Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31, 2014. Instead, he stayed in the Sunshine State to begin preparations for a career in the NFL.
Smith could take a big step toward that career this weekend when he heads to Mobile, Alabama, to take part in the Senior Bowl at 3 p.m. Saturday (NFL Network) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. MSU teammates Kaleb Eulls, a defensive tackle out of Yazoo City, and center Dillon Day, from Monroe, Louisiana, also will play in the annual showcase for NFL coaches and scouts.
For Smith, who received his Senior Bowl nod first, the chance to participate in the game is a fitting end to a sterling final season at MSU.
“It’s an honor,” said Smith, who is from Stone Mountain, Georgia. “I will be very busy with the Senior Bowl and then the NFL Combine after that, but it’s a dream come true.”
The 6-foot-6, 267-pound pass-rushing specialist was one of the first players announced for the Senior Bowl. NFL draft experts believe Smith has the size and athletic ability to enhance his stock in Mobile.
“You’re talking about a guy with long arms and good burst,” said Eric Galko of the NFL draft-related website Optimum Scouting. “He’s a guy who can play and work his way into being in the conversation to be a first-day pick.”
The first day of the NFL draft includes the first round, while rounds two and three are held on day two. The remainder of the draft is on day three. The NFL draft will be April 30-May 2 in Chicago. Smith, who had nine sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss as a senior, will be one of MSU’s several potential draftees. That list includes junior linebacker Benardrick McKinney, a projected first-round pick, according to a number of experts, and junior tailback Josh Robinson, who declared for the draft hours before the Orange Bowl.
Among MSU’s seniors, Smith is the top prospect, a tag he will take to Mobile this week as he looks to improve his draft stock.
“It’s all about hard work,” said Smith of his strong final season, which saw him win Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for three consecutive weeks to open the campaign. “Hopefully with the Senior Bowl, I will get to work in front of the right people and show them something they like. That’s the plan.”
Smith entered his final season at MSU with seven sacks, including 4.5 as a sophomore in 2012 and 2.5 as a junior. As a senior, Smith had a break-through season that included two interceptions and two blocked field goals. His emergence was key to a defense that finished second in the SEC in sacks (37).
Others have taken notice, too. On NFL.com’s initial mock draft released Thursday, Smith was projected as a first-round pick, going No. 32 to the Seattle Seahawks.
Eulls also will have a chance Saturday to impress NFL decision-makers.
“Kaleb Eulls is everything that’s right about college football,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said earlier this season. “You look at where he’s come from, where he is now, and how he conducts himself on and off the field, there is no better ambassador for Mississippi State football than Kaleb Eulls. He is a guy who will be successful in whatever he does in life, whether it’s football or something else.”
A 6-4, 295 pounds, Eulls was named the SEC’s Defensive Lineman of the Week once this year after a five-tackle, two-sack effort in a 45-31 win against Kentucky on Oct. 25. He had 34 tackles and three sacks.
“He’s a guy that scouts want to see more of,” Galko said. “He put up decent numbers on a team that had a lot of success. I think he can surprise some people down here.”
Day, MSU’s starting center for much of the past four seasons, was the team leader in starts with 49. He accepted an invitation to Mobile last week.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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