William Raymond Smith III (July 4, 1981 – April 9, 2016) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Ohio State and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, where he played for the entirety of his career. Smith was born on the Fourth of July in Queens, New York to William and Lisa Smith. He was raised in Utica, New York. At Proctor High School in Utica, Smith was a USA Today All-American pick, and was rated by Prep Football Report as the best defensive line prospect in the state. As a senior he had 20 sacks.Smith was selected as the 18th pick in the 1st round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. He had a successful rookie season with 30 tackles and 7.5 sacks. In 2005 he had 48 tackles and 8.5 sacks and played well enough that the Saints did not re-sign Darren Howard thus making Smith the starter opposite Charles Grant for the 2006 season. Smith gradually established himself as one of the premier defensive ends in the NFL.
In his first season as a full-time starter, Smith became a leader of the defensive line and emerged as one of the NFL’s top defensive ends. He was voted to the Pro Bowl and finished tied for 14th in the NFL with a career-best 10.5 sacks. Smith played in 14 games, sitting out the finale with the Saints having clinched a playoff berth and also missing one contest with a knee injury. The club’s No. 1 pick in 2004 was a force from his arrival in New Orleans, notching 33.5 sacks in four seasons. His 26.0 sacks in his first three season are the second-most in club history in so short a span (Charles Grant, 27.5, 2002–04). Smith brought energy, toughness and a hard-nosed approach to each game, setting the tone for the entire defensive front, and he was equally strong against the run and the pass. In his brief career, he played in 62 games and posted 215 tackles (156 solo) and 13 forced fumbles. In 2006, he was named to his first Pro Bowl as a starter.
