Jonnu Smith

Jonnu Andre Smith (born August 22, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL).

He was ranked the tenth best tight end in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the 12th best tight end by NFL analyst Gil Brandt.

As a freshman in 2013, Smith played 12 games with 388 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

As a sophomore in 2014, he played 12 games with 710 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

As a junior in 2015, he played in 8 games with 397 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

As a senior in 2016, he played 11 games with 506 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

He played college football at FIU and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

After four seasons with the Titans, he joined the New England Patriots in 2021, and was later traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.

Smith was raised in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by his parents, Wayne and Karen Smith.

He is the youngest of six children.

When he was born, Karen was pressured by nurses to name him immediately, in accordance with hospital policies.

After praying, she came up with the name Jonnu.

He began playing Pop Warner football at age 5.

Smith endured a lot of challenges as a youngster in Philadelphia.

After his brother was arrested and one of his friends was killed on the streets, his family didn't have the financial means to uproot.

For his own safety, he moved in with his maternal aunt and uncle in Ocala, Florida.

He started playing high school football at West Port High School, and even though he was far from a touted recruit he earned a scholarship to Florida International.

Smith played college football at Florida International University, where he majored in liberal studies.

Smith was invited to play in the 2017 Senior Bowl, but was overshadowed by other tight ends who were considered first and second round picks.

Smith was one of 19 tight ends who received an invitation to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He had an impressive performance and finished in the top five among tight ends in the majority of the drills.

He placed second in the vertical jump and short shuttle, tied for third in the bench press, fourth in the broad jump, and finished sixth in the 40-yard dash in his position group.

On March 29, 2017, Smith opted to participate at FIU's pro day, along with Dieugot Joseph and ten other teammates.

He performed the three-cone drill and positional drills for scouts and team representatives from 29 NFL teams and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.

Throughout the pre-draft process, Smith had private workouts and visits with Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, and Minnesota Vikings.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Smith was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by NFL draft experts and analysts.

The Titans selected Smith in the third round with the 100th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the sixth tight end selected.

He was the seventh player selected in FIU's school history and third-highest selection in school history.

The Titans selected Smith to fill a void in their two tight end sets after Anthony Fasano departed in free agency.

On May 17, 2017, the Titans signed Smith to a four-year, $3.10 million contract that included a signing bonus of $706,288.

Throughout training camp, Smith competed against veterans Jace Amaro and Phillip Supernaw to be the Titans' second tight end behind veteran Delanie Walker.

Smith made his NFL debut starting in the Titans' season-opening 26–16 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

In the next game, he recorded two receptions for 30 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a 32-yard screen pass from Marcus Mariota during the fourth quarter of a 37–16 road victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

During Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith caught a 24-yard touchdown during the third quarter of a 33–27 victory.

During Week 5 against the Dolphins, he caught a season-high five passes for 21 yards in the 16–10 road loss.

Smith finished his rookie year with 18 receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

The Titans finished second in the AFC South with a 9–7 record and made the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

In the Wild Card Round, the Titans played the Kansas City Chiefs.

Smith caught two passes for 15 yards.

In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots Smith recorded a four-yard reception before suffering a torn MCL in the 35–14 loss.