Maason Smith

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		24	3.0	32	4
2025		13	0.0	15	2
2024		11	3.0	17	2

Updated Jun 6, 2026

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Maason Smith's contract earns a C- Contract Value Index, with the AAV sitting where the comparable-tier deals tend to settle. The rookie scale deal at $1.097M annually over four years is appropriately priced for a second-round pick, but the CVI grade reflects the widening gap between draft capital spent and on-field production—his 2025 season produced 15 tackles across 13 games, replacement-level output that has validated the skepticism media and scouts now openly express about his developmental trajectory. At 23 years old in his second year, Smith is no longer operating under the grace period typically afforded young defensive linemen; the fact that Jacksonville acquired him via trade signals the front office recognizes his current value is depressed, and recent team activity—signing fellow defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna just weeks into the offseason—suggests the organization is already hedging its bets on Smith's ability to carve out a consistent role. The low AAV makes this a low-risk contract in isolation, but that financial flexibility is only valuable if Smith can translate it into functional production; right now, the narrative is of a prospect who has yet to justify second-round expectations, and the public is waiting for evidence of improvement rather than extended skepticism. His path forward hinges entirely on demonstrating he can anchor a rotational role moving into 2026, because arrival in Jacksonville arrived carrying the weight of being another team's discarded project—and sentiment will remain frozen until his play changes the conversation.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Maason's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Among defensive tackles on the Jacksonville Jaguars, Maason Smith's output grades to a D performance level. The 23-year-old second-year pro is operating well below the trajectory expected of a 2024 second-round pick, and his 2025 season production of 15 tackles across 13 games represents replacement-level interior line play—the kind of marginal counting output that fails to justify draft capital or a roster spot in a competitive window. Smith's limited tackle production is the defining weakness here; even accounting for scheme deployment and snap distribution, that volume falls short of what a developing second-round pick should be generating, particularly when the team activated him off the PUP list mid-season and gave him opportunities to contribute. His durability to stay on the field across 13 games is a minor positive, but availability without production is a hollow virtue in a pass-rush role. The broader context makes Smith's situation even more precarious: he arrives in Jacksonville as the centerpiece of a lateral swap with Atlanta—a trade that media universally framed as two front offices cutting losses on disappointing young defensive tackles rather than either team acquiring a prospect with upside. Recent team transactions signal Jacksonville is actively shopping for interior line upgrades, including the June signing of DT Quinton Bohanna, which underscores that the organization has not closed the book on finding Smith's eventual replacement. Until Smith translates his physical tools into consistent rotational production, he remains a cautionary tale of early-draft disappointment.

How Maason Compares at the Position

Maason Smith ranks 181st of 216 graded defensive tackles by performance. That slots Maason between Brodric Martin-rhodes (D) just ahead and Zacch Pickens (D) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Maason Smith's public perception has cratered to one of the more uncomfortable spots a 23-year-old second-round pick can occupy just two seasons into his career, and the sentiment surrounding him is trending further downward. The defining narrative driver is the trade itself — media coverage has universally framed the Jacksonville-Atlanta swap as a lateral exchange of disappointing young defensive tackles, with analysts characterizing it as two front offices simultaneously cutting their losses rather than either team making a genuine upgrade. That framing is hard to escape when Smith's on-field production corroborates the skepticism; his performance grades at D+, and his 2025 season produced just 15 tackles across 13 games — replacement-level output for a player drafted 48th overall who was supposed to develop into a difference-maker up front. Headlines questioning whether he even has a defined role heading into 2026 reinforce the narrative, and the fact that the Jaguars appeared to be scouting his own replacement in mock draft coverage signals that even his new employer isn't fully sold. His activation off the PUP list last season was treated less as a return and more as a footnote, which captures exactly how little buzz Smith generates in a market that needs reasons to be excited. The bottom line is that Smith arrives in Jacksonville carrying the weight of being somebody else's discarded project, and until he produces consistently as a rotational piece — at minimum — the public narrative will remain one of a promising prospect who has yet to justify the draft capital spent on him.