Big Board ranking: #12
Positional ranking: #3
Overview
Position: CB
College: South Carolina
Class: Junior (RS)
Age: 22
Measurables
Height: 6’0 3/4”
Weight: 180 lbs.
Arm length: 31 5/8″
Hand size: 9 1/8″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.43 sec.
10-yard split: 1.49 sec.
Vertical jump: 38.0″
Broad jump: 134.0″
Bench press: N/A
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
Very aggressive and twitchy cornerback. Tremendous agility and great footwork. Above-average speed with impressive recovery ability if opponents get a step. Quick closing on routes when receivers get some separation in general. Excellent backpedal-to-break mirroring. Extremely comfortable in press coverage. Stays patient versus releases when playing press. Will jump on smaller opponents with press jams and wins with strength/quickness combination. Dangerous lurking as a perimeter zone defender with his eyes on the quarterback. Gets his head around while putting his arm up at the catch point on downfield passes. Excellent ball skills. Allows short throws in off coverage and has the confidence to make sure it’s a minimal gain. Phenomenal instincts. Shows no hesitation and fully commits to defending the run. Fills running lanes and fully understands how to play team run defense. Tough and finds and way to bring down bigger ball-carriers. Will effectively chop down opponents in space. Aggressive taking on blocks from wide receivers and will discard half-hearted blocks. High confidence and competitiveness. Played exclusively in the slot and prevented big plays versus Tennessee and wide receiver Jalin Hyatt (2022).
Weaknesses
Build is somewhat thin in lower half. Will ride opponents early in routes at times. Needs to avoid grabbing both during routes and with the ball in the air. Can be susceptible to double moves.
NFL comparison
Greg Newsome II
Conclusion
Overall, Smith is an aggressive cornerback that can contain receivers in man coverage and make plays in zone coverage. Even in a loaded class for the position, he can be an early first-round selection based on the coverage potential and his value defending the run.