A Decade and Counting in Purple for Harrison Smith
Drafted way back in 2012 with pick number 29 in the first round, Harrison Smith has been a magnificent servant for the Minnesota Vikings.
He has completed 10 seasons in Minnesota, thus completing an entire decade in purple for Harrison Smith. Other than the 2013 season, Smith has mostly been available, only missing a handful of games. Though he may not be in his prime anymore, at 33 years old, he is still one of the best safeties in the game.
Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 77.9, ranking him 11th amongst eligible safeties. What was most impressive was his 81.8 coverage grade. Although the secondary still had its troubles, with more help from Patrick Peterson and Xavier Woods, Smith had a better season in 2021 than the previous year.
A new defensive coordinator has arrived in Minnesota in Ed Donatell is bringing a new scheme — a scheme in which Harrison Smith should continue to thrive, allowing him to do what he does best. The pre/post-snap trickery, the disguising coverages that the Vic Fangio scheme requires to succeed. Nobody does that part of the game better than Harrison Smith. Without asking him to do too much, for example, covering the inadequacies of poor defensive backs.
New contract
So, it won’t be 10 and out. I’d be very surprised if the Vikings moved on from Smith this year with the minuscule amount of talent on the roster at secondary. There’s too much work to be done in that area without losing your best player. There are probably two more seasons left for Smith in Minnesota. The new contract he signed in 2021 allows the Vikings to get out without an outlandish amount of dead cap space. It would only cost $5 million next year should there be a sudden sharp decline in his play. In 2024 the dead cap is just under $4 million, and in 2025 a meager $2 million.
That’s enough about the future. I now want a look at the career of the player known as “the Hitman.” A nickname like that doesn’t come lightly, and Harrison Smith has earned it. I followed the Vikings for quite some time before I felt passionately enough and could afford to buy a jersey. When the time came, there was no competition. It was only going to be Harrison Smith. He personifies what attracted this Brit to what is very much a minority sport on this side of the Atlantic — great athleticism and intelligence while playing the game hard and at a fast pace. An evening spent watching a highlight reel of Harrison Smith tackles is my idea of heaven.
I’m not alone. He is an unassuming figure who lets his work on the field do the talking. Through his 10 years as a Viking, he has achieved first and second-team All-Pro honors, as well as being voted to the Pro Bowl on six occasions. A fan favorite in Minnesota and well respected across the entire National Football League.
Hall of Fame?
He’s put together a career comparable with Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and still has plenty of tread left on the tires. It remains to be seen whether he can get the Super Bowl ring that would be the icing on the cake of what should one day be recognized as a Hall of Fame career.
It’s been a great decade in purple for Harrison Smith. My only wish would be he gets the chance to play in a Super Bowl. Preferably still wearing purple and gold and hoisting the Lombardi Trophy before calling time on his playing career.
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