Notre Dame football: 10 best players to play in the NFL this past decade
By Matt Clark
After redshirting as a freshman in 2007, Harrison Smith would burst onto the scene as a star for the Notre Dame football team in 2008 as a linebacker. During the 2008 season, he would start nine games and record 57 tackles and three and a half sacks for the Irish.
In 2009, Smith would transition to the strong safety position to begin the year but would finish the season as a strong-side linebacker for the second half of the season. He would record 69 tackles and one forced fumble on the year.
In his senior year at Notre Dame, Smith would play exclusively at strong safety recording 93 tackles and seven interceptions for the Irish. He would return as a graduate student the following year and would be named a team captain. He would amass 93 tackles and one forced fumble on the season and position himself as one of the best safeties to enter the 2012 NFL Draft.
The Minnesota Vikings would draft Smith in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft with the 29th overall selection. He would be named the starting free safety for the Vikings ahead of the 2012 season and would be a stalwart on the Minnesota defense from then on.
Named to five straight Pro Bowls from 2015-2019, Smith has established himself as one of the best safeties in the National Football League. During his time in the league, he has been named to a PFWA All-Rookie team (2012), five Pro Bowls (2015-2019), a first-team All-Pro (2017), a second-team All-Pro (2018) and received PFF’s Dwight Stevenson Award (2017).
The 2017 season was Smith’s best in the league. During that season, he recorded 61 tackles, one and a half sacks, 12 pass deflections and five interceptions. Following the conclusion of the season, PFF gave Smith a rating of 98.8 which was the highest grade ever awarded to a safety by PFF and graded him out as the third-best player in the NFL.
Harrison Smith is well on his way to being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He currently boasts career numbers of 658 tackles, with 13 sacks, 24 interceptions, 57 pass deflections, seven forced fumbles, and four defensive touchdowns. As a result, he is arguably the best safety in the National Football League.