Smael (pronounced Smile) Mondon Jr is a linebacker from the vaunted Georgia Defense that has produced a lot of pro talent. After waiting his turn and overcoming injury, he made a big impact in 2024. Could he be a target for the Colts in the draft?
Q: What has your experience been so far at the Combine?
Smael: “It has been a great experience so far, got to meet different players from around the country. We will see how the draft process goes, as before you could only really see (this event) on TV but now you get to see what goes on behind the scenes. It’s been great”
Q: What have you been doing to help prepare you for the Combine?
Smael: “The biggest thing has been probably interviews and getting used to it. Kind of getting the type of things they are going to ask you.”
Q: At the Senior Bowl you told us you were trying to show coaches and scouts more of what you could do after a smaller sample size in college, how did you feel that experience proved yourself to evaluators?
Smael: “I feel like I had a really good Senior Bowl, I was able to do a lot of things: show my versatility, rush the passer, cover the back out of the backfield, and play the run. So I felt I did pretty good.”
Q: What was special about growing up at Georgia and getting to stay there to play for the Georgia Bulldogs?
Smael: “It was real special for sure, was my dream growing up. To be able to grow up and do that and play between the hedges was great.”
Q: Have you talked to any former Georgia teammates who are in the league about the pre-draft process and get their advice on this journey leading to the draft?
Smael: “Yeah I talked to a lot of them. Quay (Walker) was a big help, Nakobe (Dean), Nolan (Smith), just a couple of them boys who was there for my freshman year. They gave me a lot of good advice.”
Q: At the Senior Bowl you told us you wanted to show teams you were healthy, do you feel you accomplished that? Is that something you addressed in interviews with teams?
Smael: “Yeah I feel I did a good job showing that by the way I was covering that I was healthy. That I was moving well.”
Q: What sets you apart the most from this Linebacker Class?
Smael:
Smael Mondon, LB Georgia on what sets him apart in this draft class. #NFLCombine @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/v2COcu68Pf
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) February 26, 2025
Q: With those injuries in your history are you running a full workout of drills and testing tomorrow to help prove you are recovered and back to full speed?
Smael: “Yeah I’ve been healthy since I came back so there isn’t any injury concerns (going forward).”
Q: How often were you playing through injury this past season and in your career?
Smael: “Not too often, I missed like 3 games down in the middle (of the 2024 season), but in the first couple games of the season and when I came back for the Tennessee game I was fully healthy.
Q: Who was the best Georgia player you played against?
Smael: “It’s been a lot, but off the top of my head probably Brock Bowers.”
Q: You said previously that you don’t try to model your game after any one player, but pick small things off of other players including Fred Warner. Are there specific aspects of your game you try to model after his?
“I try to play my own game of course, but with Fred Warner I feel something we have in common is in the pass game and in pass coverage.”