Rookies making an immediate impact can certainly happen, but it's obviously more rare for a late-round draft choice. Many times, these players are just games that NFL teams take late in any given draft. This is probably the case with the Indianapolis Colts and Tim Smith.
Smith was a sixth-round choice out of Alabama and has NFL size at 6'4" and 320 pounds, but he didn't supply a lot of quarterback pressure from his interior line spot in college, and that probably isn't going to suddenly make a jump in the pros.
Instead, Smith would have to show in training camp and preseason games that he can use his size and strength to stuff the run. He couldn't miss many tackles, as ultimately, that is one of the few things he can do to show he belongs on the roster. In other words, he would need to hold his ground and take any running back near him down to the ground.
Tim Smith does not look long for the Indianapolis Colts roster
But then the Colts' first preseason game came around, and Smith was a dud against the Baltimore Ravens. The defensive tackle played on 23 snaps, 16 of them when the Ravens ran the ball, and Smith got moved around relatively easily. He had just three chances to make a tackle, and whiffed on one of them.
Again, he was facing backups. Just imagine how much he would struggle against an experienced and better player.
He is currently listed third on the depth chart at nose tackle, and he has no path to real playing time unless there are injuries in front of him. No one wants that to happen, of course, and, except for 2023, presumed starter Grover Stewart has a history of staying healthy (not to jinx anything).
Backup Eric Johnson II is back with the Colts after playing for the New England Patriots in 2024. He also doesn't miss much time due to injury concerns. Smith is therefore stuck as the backup to the backup, and that is where he needs to stay for now.
When final roster cuts are made on August 26, though, Tim Smith needs to be among those players. He simply didn't show in a meaningless game against the Baltimore Ravens that he can be counted on to get meaningful reps in real games.
At least, not with the Indianapolis Colts. Maybe he will land on a different AFC South team, and that team can be exposed through Smith's inefficiency.