49ers' Aldon Smith breaks one Reggie White pass rushing record

Aldon Smith has emerged as arguably the NFL's best pass rusher just 18 months into his professional career. Following another strong performance in Week 12 against the Saints in which he record 1.5 sacks, Smith broke one of Reggie White's sack records.

As this article from Pro Football Talk details, Smith surpassed White's record for being the fastest player to 30 sacks. It took Smith just 27 games to record 30.5 sacks, while White needed 28 games to set the mark. It's still very early in his career, but the 49ers' young defensive end is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the best in NFL history.

It's been quite the turnaround for Smith. He had a promising collegiate career at Missouri, although injuries and a lack of size led many experts to wonder whether or not he would ever develop into a star down the road. If his record-setting performance on Sunday was any indication, it appears San Francisco got away with a steal when selecting Smith with the seventh overall pick in 2011.