Greenville native Za’Darius Smith will soon learn where the next stop on his football journey will be.

The former Greenville High School and University of Kentucky standout is projected by many experts to be a third round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, which begins April 30.

Smith, who won the 2011 NJCAA National Championship at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to Kentucky following his sophomore season, is ranked as the 10th best defensive end in the Draft, according to NFLDraftScout.com.

As a junior at Kentucky, Smith finished third on the team in tackles (59) and second in sacks (6). As a senior, he recorded 61 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

“A lot of teams see me as a third-round guy,” Smith said at Kentucky’s pro day. “[But] as long as I get my foot in the door, I’m going to work as hard as I can.”

At the NFL Combine, the 6-foot-4, 274-pound defensive end ran the 40-yard dash in 4.83 seconds, bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times, posted a vertical leap of 29 inches and a broad jump of 9 feet, 5 inches and ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.66 seconds.

At Kentucky’s Pro Day in March, Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.73 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.64 seconds.

The first round of the NFL Draft will begin at 7 p.m. on April 30. Rounds 2 and 3 will be held May 1 and will begin at 6 p.m. Rounds 4-7 will be held May 2 and will begin at 11 a.m.