Aldon Smith: Sack Watch

I think it's time to sit back and remember how exactly Aldon Smith got to where he is today. He was a defensive end from Raytown, Missouri, a 6'5" 235 pound beast that could chase you down from behind with a 4.68 40 yard dash time, and somehow only graduated high school with a three star rating on Rivals.com. Missouri assistant coach Andy Hill was familiar with his talents, and got Aldon Smith to commit to Mizzou over Iowa, kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. A guy that most weren't drooling over gave many a reason to salivate once they saw him play for Ol' Mizzou.

Smith was a part of so, so many memorable plays here at Mizzou, from the Sod Reesing Safety Sequel...

To his incredible interception of Landry Jones.

Aldon decided it was too much fun making big plays in college to stop in the NFL. Drafted with the #7 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Smith went a hell of a lot higher than most people expected him to. Being a top 10 draft pick means there are expectations for you to begin contributing NOW. And that's exactly what he did. In his rookie campaign, Aldon Smith nearly set the rookie sack record with 14, helping the San Francisco defense gain elite status and make the 49ers contenders in the NFC. This season, he took the notion of a sophomore slump and pushed it off of a cliff.

Through Week 14 in 2012, Aldon Smith has 19.5 sacks.That's already the record for the 49ers organization, but Aldon could reach even higher than that. In just his second season with three games left to play, Aldon needs just 3.5 more sacks to break Michael Strahan's single season sack record of 22.5. With games left to play against New Englad, Seattle, and Arizona, those 3.5 sacks would be more than a personal achievement, they would help his team overcome elite competition and put the Niners in position to make a run at the biggest game of all. Smith knows all about that...

Just ask Bob Stoops.