Medical issues may have hurt former Tennessee OL Trey Smith’s draft stock, but he is still just as motivated to earn his spot on the Chiefs this year.

Smith showed this after being interviewed at the team’s facility. Smith had to step away from football after his freshman year at Tennessee after blood clots were found in his lungs.

After sitting out the entire 2018 season, Smith and his family received news that the original diagnosis was not as accurate as they thought and the he would be able to return to Tennessee for his junior season.

In the clip below, he describes how his draft-day slide didn’t exactly sit well with him:

“I was disappointed, but I know at the end, I’m going to get mine,” Smith said. “At that moment I was disappointed; working that hard for that one moment you want to experience with your family. It was supposed to be a magical moment, and when it happened it really wasn’t in terms of how far I really dropped. When the Chiefs picked me we were elated. I couldn’t have gotten to a better organization, and I’m super excited to be here.”

Smith would go on to play in all 13 of the games his junior year at Tennessee, and 10 full games in his senior season.

The 6-5, 330-pound guard is currently listed as the starter on the Chiefs depth chart after being selected with the 226th pick in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.