Xavier Smith

Xavier Smith (born September 21, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida A&M Rattlers and was signed by the Rams as an undrafted free agent in .

Early life Smith was born on September 21, 1997, in Haines City, Florida. He attended Ridge Community High School, then transferred to Haines City High School where he played running back. Being small, at and , and without significant statistics, he received no offers to play college football. He developed a highlight film and contacted over 100 college coaches, but received no interest. He received several honors including first-team All-MEAC, BoxToRow All-American, second-team American Football Coaches Association] (AFCA) All-American, and HERO Sports sophomore All-American. He ended his collegiate career with 44 games played and 193 catches for 2,599 yards.

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Smith signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent. He was waived at the final roster cuts and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad. After having spent the entire season on the practice squad, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Rams on January 16, 2024.

Smith was waived by the Rams on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster on September 21, and made his NFL debut the following day in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers. With under a minute remaining in the game and the score tied, Smith's 38-yard punt return to midfield helped set up the Rams' game-winning field goal. He was signed to the active roster on October 17.

After a loss in the 2025 NFC Championship game against the Seattle Seahawks, Smith received criticism for a muffed punt inside the 20-yard line, which led to a Seahawks touchdown. On March 2, 2026, the Rams announced that they were tendering Smith as an exclusive rights free agent.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season YearTeamGamesReceivingRushingPunt returnsKick returnsFumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost FR 2024 LAR 15 0 2 6 3.0 11 0 4 36 9.0 24 0 16 149 9.3 38 0 6 155 25.8 34 0 0 0 0 2025 LAR 16 3 18 303 16.8 51 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 27 251 9.3 31 0 13 301 23.2 32 0 0 0 0Career 31 3 20 309 15.5 51 0 4 36 9.0 24 0 43 400 9.3 38 0 19 456 24.0 34 0 0 0 0

Postseason YearTeamGamesReceivingRushingPunt returnsKick returnsFumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost FR 2024 LAR 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 29 9.7 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 LAR 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 -2 -0.7 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 1Career 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 6 27 4.5 18 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 1