He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (third overall) of the 1999 NFL draft, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind Tim Couch (Cleveland Browns) and Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles).

Smith attended Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, the alma mater of Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis.

[2] Smith was named a Parade Magazine All-American and signed a letter of intent to play at San Diego State, but low test scores meant he had to attend Grossmont College, a junior college in the San Diego area for two years,[1] prior to transferring to the University of Oregon.

Instead of taking the trade, the Bengals stayed with their initial decision to draft Smith,[5] who, while athletic (he had also played two years of minor-league baseball and ran a 4.66 40-yard dash[6]), was still largely unproven, having only succeeded at the college level for one season.

On April 28, 2007, Smith signed a two-year contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, where he was expected to compete for the starting quarterback position with another former NFL player, Henry Burris.

Though listed going into the game as the third-string quarterback, he completed three touchdown passes in only one half of play, including one to former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marc Boerigter.

[15] As of September 2014, Smith was coaching football for The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California, and was still 16 credits away from graduating from Oregon.