Smith has an All-Pro skill-set
Before Smith got himself into trouble, he was well on his way to a potential Hall of Fame career. In his first two seasons, he totaled 33.5 sacks, the most by any player in their first two NFL seasons. He amassed 47 total sacks during the five seasons he played ball.
It’s reasonable to believe that these four years away from the game could have diminished his skill set.
While four years is a very long time to be away from football and then attempt a comeback, his talent was so raw and impressive during his playing days that it’s hard to envision it all just vanishing after taking some time off.