After a strong showing at the Senior Bowl, the question wasn’t whether or not Northern Iowa defensive lineman Elerson Smith was going to get selected in the NFL Draft.
It was a matter of when.
Smith was taken by the New York Giants in the fourth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday. The Minnesota native was the 116th overall pick in the event.
And it’s really no surprise. Smith was a star for the Panthers as an elite pass rusher. He was named the Phil Steele FCS Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and earned Preseason First-Team All-American honors from Stats Perform.