TERRELL, Texas -- From the time he was a kid, Jason Smith was pretty sure he'd end up in the NFL. It was everyone else who needed convincing.

His coach at Dallas' W.T. White High School, the legendary Mike Zoffuto, moved the tall, lanky kid from left tackle to tight end because he thought it was his only chance to attract college recruiters. And one by one, SEC powerhouses such as Florida and Alabama sent representatives to the inner-city school -- only they were there to look at two of Smith's teammates.

Perennial Big 12 South doormat Baylor and Houston were the only schools to show interest in Smith, who admits to "not being able to catch a cold" from his tight end spot. Smith checked in at No. 95 on the Dallas Morning News' area top 100 list -- a spot normally reserved for the stray kicker or punter.

"I begged TCU to look at Jason," said former W.T. White assistant Billy Thompson, who'd played defensive end at the school when it was in the Southwest Conference. "I knew if he could get into a Division I school and eat at a training table every day, he would take off."

Five years later, Smith has a legitimate shot to become the first Big 12 player selected No. 1 overall. In a process in which scouts and draft experts desperately try to poke holes in a player's skill set, Smith may be as close to a sure thing as you'll find.

"He is really one of those 10-year left tackle type guys," said one NFC general manager who requested anonymity. "He is really in my eyes a No. 1 guy. You'd love to have a guy like that. He's a Walter Jones left tackle who could play forever. He's got it all with the size and athletic ability. He's clean."

That Smith somehow ended up in this spot is testament to his perseverance and uncanny networking skills. One former coach described him as "an old soul," and that's apparent to anyone who has crossed paths with him. Both in looks and demeanor, he seems six or seven years older than his 22 years. On a foggy spring morning in Waco, he interrupted his daily workout to talk about his rise, which is anything but sudden.

Smith was raised by his maternal grandmother and mother in a gritty section of northwest Dallas called North Park that was a breeding ground for drug dealers and gang violence. The fact that one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the nation, Highland Park, was about two miles away only reinforced Smith's goal to reach the NFL.

One NFC general manager said of Smith: "He is really one of those 10-year left tackle type guys." James Lang/US Presswire

As a 10-year-old, Smith would ride his bike through Highland Park, the area where Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford grew up, and daydream about a better life for his family.

Smith used the hardships as motivation, and none of his coaches can recall him complaining. At age 12, he launched a lawn service ("The Cutting Edge") and posted fliers around the neighborhood. For Christmas, he would ask for a leaf blower or weed whacker instead of video games.

"I would stop by and visit with lawn service guys all the time," Smith said. "What they didn't know is that I was studying what sort of equipment they had."

When Smith saved up enough to buy a green Craftsman push mower, the real profits started to roll in.

"None of us could figure out how Jason showed up for practice every day when he basically had a full-time job," Thompson said. "I'm pretty sure he worked at a pet shop too. About 90 percent of our job was just getting the kids to practice. But you never had to say a word to Jason. He was just there."

Smith continued mowing lawns through his freshman year at Baylor before deciding to take a job with City Tire and Battery in Waco. He would attend class, go to spring practice and then report for duty changing tires and organizing the garage. Teammates and friends would call him at all hours of the night when they had car trouble and Smith always showed up with his toolbox.

The Cowboys Way

Smith's grandmother, Carolyn Jordan, grew up riding horses and she started taking him and his older brother Duane to team roping events when they were kids. It was there where Smith met a man named Glenn Caldwell who would become a father figure to him. Caldwell, whose parents had been migrant workers, owned an 80-acre ranch in Terrell and he introduced Smith to ranching. Caldwell hosted roping events at his "Big B Ranch" on weekends and took a special interest in Smith.