Former NFL star Aldon Smith returns to league as rookie mentor using troubled past to guide new generation

Aldon Smith, once a promising NFL star, had off-the-field demons that eventually ended his career. Today, he's using his journey of self reflection to help motivate and guide today's new generation of athletes.

The name Aldon Smith can invoke many different reactions among NFL fans. 

One of those reactions could be how much of a beast he was on the gridiron after the San Francisco 49ers took him seventh overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Missouri. Smith tallied the most sacks of any player in his first two years in the NFL, racking up 33.5 in 32 games. 

Simply put, many believed the name Aldon Smith was destined for Canton, Ohio – the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

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Aldon Smith was the No. 7 overall pick of the 2011 NFL Draft out of Missouri. (Aldon Smith)

But another common reaction when his name is brought up is one of shame or what could've been. Off-the-field issues stymied Smith's career to the point that he was suspended by the league; and in 2021, he was arrested for driving under the influence in San Mateo County, California. Two years later, Smith was sentenced to one year in jail for a felony stemming from the arrest. 

That arrest on Dec. 6, 2021, though, changed Smith's entire perspective on life. Today, his self-journey, one in which he is sober and focused on the next chapter of life, brings him another opportunity with the NFL. 

This time, it's not with pads and a helmet but rather his voice.

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"It’s really surreal because, honestly, the draft happened a couple days ago, and it doesn’t seem like that long ago I was drafted," Smith told Fox News Digital over