Sports Illustrated - USA (2022-05)

YOU CAN CONTACT Dr. Rush by calling 1-833-222-SACK,
a number he registered personally with the phone company
in Atlanta.
And on the first day of specialized training with pass-rush
instructor Chuck Smith (the name on Dr. Rush’s driver’s
license), he’ll ask you to toe the end zone, walk you out to
the 5-yard line and turn you back in the direction you came.
Five yards, or the typical distance from a pass rusher’s
starting point to the quarterback, is all that matters. Then,
he’ll walk you out to the 10-yard line and inform you that
if you ran this far on a play, you likely missed the quarter-
back altogether. He’ll walk you out to the 40-yard line, the
distance most of his collegiate prospects spend draft season
worrying about, and ask: Who among you has ever run this
far to sack a quarterback?
Crickets. Point taken.
While this all might feel a little tawdry, like a modernized
Tom Emanski VHS skills and drills pitch, it’s anything but.
Especially now. Smith, who played nine NFL seasons and
spent time postcareer as a coach with the Jets, Ravens and
University of Tennessee, is sought out by players all over the
country who find themselves punching S-A-C-K into their
phone’s keypad. He works regularly with Steelers All-Pro
Cam Heyward and Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, now
one of the richest players in professional football. Von Miller
considers him his personal Phil Jackson, and Aaron Donald
says Smith taught him one of his most potent moves, the
club chop. “If quarterback is the most important position,
[the player] stopping him, a pass rusher, must be the second
most,” Dr. Rush says.
When specialized predraft pass-rush training, which
mimics the cottage quarterbacking industry popularized
by Tom House, Steve Clarkson, George Whitfield and
Jordan Palmer, went mainstream, the choice for an industry
superstar—its first doctoral graduate—was obvious. Smith’s
phone line is constantly tied up because pass rushing is

LOOKING

This year’s draft class takes

a different shape—unlike

the past two seasons,

teams in search of offensive

firepower might feel

underwhelmed. But, as

our first-round projection

shows, teams looking to

capitalize on the latest

defensive trend will find

what they need

TRENT

McDUFFIE

CORNERBACK

WASHINGTON

Even after adding

Carson Wentz,

a QB pick isn’t

out of the

question, but a

cover artist like

McDuffie would

immediately

upgrade their

secondary after

an uneven season.

30 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

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