Andre Smith ( offensive tackle ) Andre Dewayne Smith , Jr . ( born January 25 , 1987 ) is an American football offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for the University of Alabama , and was recognized as an All - American . He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft . Early years . Smith was born in Birmingham , Alabama . He attended Huffman High School in Birmingham , where he was a three - year starter , a two - time All - State selection , and Class 6A Lineman of the Year in 2005 . After registering 88 pancake blocks his senior season , Smith was selected “ Mr . Football ” by the Alabama Sports Writers Association , becoming the only offensive lineman to ever win the honor in the association ’ s 23 - year history . Smith earned High School All - American honors by " USA Today " and was selected to play in the 2006 U . S . Army All - American Bowl . He was also one of four finalists for the 2005 Walter Payton Trophy , given to the nation ’ s most athletic high school football player . Regarded as a five - star recruit by both " Rivals . com " and " Scout . com " , Smith was listed as the No . 1 offensive lineman by both recruiting services . " Rivals " described him as " one of the most dominant offensive line prospects in the last 10 years , " and — after reevaluating their 2005 – ' 09 rankings in February 2009 — considered him the best offensive tackle prospect of that period . Mike Farrell of " The Sporting News " called Smith " the best offensive line prospect since Orlando Pace . " College career . Smith attended the University of Alabama beginning in 2006 , he played for coach Nick Saban ' s Alabama Crimson Tide football team from 2007 to 2008 . In his initial year at Alabama , he started all 13 games at left tackle , becoming only the fourth true freshman offensive lineman to start for the Crimson Tide . Smith played at least 65 snaps in 10 of 13 games and played more than 70 snaps five times , while leading the Crimson Tide with 62 pancake blocks . He also scored a touchdown off of a lateral in the 34 – 31 Independence Bowl loss against Oklahoma State . Smith earned Freshman All - American honors by the " Football Writers Association of America " . In 2007 , Smith was a first - team All - Southeastern Conference selection , after starting every game at the left tackle position . He was named Alabama Co - Player of the Week four times during the season . Smith was recognized as a unanimous All - American in 2008 , as well as the 2008 Outland Trophy winner . He was also considered to be one of the best underclassmen for the 2009 NFL Draft . He was also a firs - team All - SEC selection and shared the league ' s Jacobs Blocking Trophy with Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs . He led the team with 103 key knockdowns and added seven blocks downfield . He was penalized just twice and he allowed just one QB sack and six pressures on 334 pass plays . On December 29 , 2008 , Smith was suspended from playing in the 2009 Sugar Bowl , — a game Alabama lost 31 – 17 to the Utah Utes — , reportedly because he dealt with an agent . A few days later , Smith declared himself eligible for the 2009 NFL Draft , and at the time he was considered a lock to be a Top 5 pick . Professional career . 2009 NFL Draft . Widely believed to be the best run - blocking tackle in the 2009 NFL draft , Smith drew comparisons to Jason Peters . At the 2009 NFL Combine , Smith weighed 332 pounds . He also looked out of shape as he ran 40 yards shirtless , clocking at a slow 5 . 28 , and had a disappointing 19 repetitions on the bench with 225 pounds . He decided to leave the combine early in order to prepare for Alabama ' s Pro Day on March 11 , 2009 . Smith , however , did not inform his group leader at the combine before he left , and later apologized , stating : " If I had the chance to do it all over , I wouldn ' t have handled it the way I did . I should have told my group leader that I was leaving , and I didn ' t . I didn ' t mean to ruffle any feathers or step on any toes . I didn ' t mean to grandstand anyone at the combine . That was not my intention at all , and I apologize for my mistake . " Smith also admitted that he wasn ' t prepared or in shape . His Pro Day performance at Alabama on March 11 , 2009 , was equally unimpressive , although his weight was down to 325 pounds . It was expected that his poor performances at the Combine and at Pro Day would strongly impact his draft positioning . Initially thought of as the best offensive tackle in the draft and a possible No . 1 pick , Smith was moved to third among offensive tackles ( commonly behind Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe ) after the combine . Smith was eventually drafted sixth overall by the Cincinnati Bengals . He was the first Alabama offensive lineman selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Chris Samuels in 2000 . Cincinnati Bengals . With run - blocking being his premier quality , Smith was projected to start at right tackle for the Bengals . However , after a 30 - day contract impasse , Smith missed all of training camp and three preseason games , before eventually signing his contract on August 30 , 2009 . It is believed that Smith was looking for a five - year , $ 40 million deal , but was signed to a four - year contract with only $ 21 million guaranteed . The Bengals also have an option in his contract after the 2010 season to make it a six - year , $ 42 million agreement . Just days after ending his holdout , Smith fractured his left foot during a non - contact drill at training camp . On December 13 , 2009 , Smith was credited with his first official start when usual starting right tackle Dennis Roland lined up as the extra tight end in the Bengals unbalanced line . That season Smith played in six games . On November 13 , 2010 , the Bengals placed Smith on injured reserve with a broken foot , ending his season after playing in seven of the eight regular season games to that date . In the 2011 NFL pre - season , it was reported that he was working out and getting fully fit . It was also reported that in the pre - season , he spoke with the Bengals starting left tackle , Andrew Whitworth , about how " it ' s my time to step up . " The 2011 season became Smith ' s breakout year , and he became the starting right tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals . On April 26 , 2013 , Smith re - signed with the Bengals . It was reported by NFL . com ' s Ian Rapoport that Smith agreed to a three - year , $ 18 million contract during the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft . Personal . Smith is the son of Andre , Sr . and Nesa Smith . His younger brother , Christian Smith , formerly played wide receiver and cornerback at Hampton University . He is also a cousin of Dominic Lee , a former defensive lineman for the Alabama Crimson Tide and Desmond Jennings , outfielder of the Tampa Bay Rays . On January 18 , 2013 , Smith was arrested after allegedly bringing a gun into the Hartsfield – Jackson Atlanta International Airport .