While the Philadelphia Eagles needed to address their defensive line, drafting Louisville's Marcus Smith in the first round was seen by many as the biggest reach in the first round. Despite being drafted ahead of his draft stock, Smith has tons of potential to develop into one of the best edge rushers in the league. In college, Smith never really exceeded expectations, but he has a great combination of long arms and explosiveness that tell me he could turn into something special.

At 6'3", 251 pounds, it is clear that Smith is undersized. In my opinion, a good predictor of NFL success for a pass rusher is the trait of long arms. Smith has 34" arms. This allows him to keep distance between him and the offensive linemen in front of him. Besides the fact that he was inconsistent in college, something that bothers me about Smith is his speed. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Smith only ran a 4.68 40-yard dash. His bench press was also subpar, as he only had 23 reps of 225 pounds.

Smith is the prototypical high-risk, high-reward type of player who could blossom in the NFL if he is in the right fit. In Philly, Smith will have a chance to learn behind one of the league's best pass rushers in Trent Cole. It's too early to call someone a reach or a bust, but if Smith doesn't turn into the player the Eagles need him to be, the fans will be even more upset than after they drafted him.