"Ultimately, I feel like he can be an All-Pro player," Mack said of Smith. "Along with Danny (Trevathan) on the inside. I feel like those two should take over the All-Pro position for these years. You can say that's a large task for those guys. But I don't think it will be."
While those may sound like lofty goals to some, they aren't for those playing on the Bears, who had the top-ranked scoring defense and the most takeaways in the NFL in 2018. This group of players is quick to credit one another.
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For the 22-year-old Smith, this marks his first training camp after he missed the entirety of the Bears' work in Bourbonnais last season due to a contract dispute. He's embracing the opportunity at Olivet Nazarene.
But what about the words coming from his teammate Mack?
"That's high praise," Smith said. "But I'm just trying to be the best version of myself, whether that's All-Pro or not.
"If I get that, I'll get that. But that's not my main focus."