 Zach Gilford said about his character Matt Saracen that " there are different parts of it from people I know growing up or people I 'm tight with now " . He credited Peter Berg with coming up with the Saracen character , and said he was grateful to " have some of the most realistic and heartfelt storylines . " When asked which of the actors would have been drafted highest by the NFL , he replied " Probably Taylor [ Kitsch ] . He 's a good athlete , but Scott will kill me for saying that . Scott played football growing up and he has a good arm , but Taylor is faster and I think that would help his draft status . " Gaius Charles , who plays " Smash " Williams , graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2005 , determined to find a job within a year , which he did with Friday Night Lights . He describes himself as " all right " at football , but says that he was taken aback by the intensity of the plays on the set . 
