Christopher Smith

Pos: SAF

School: Georgia

Ht. 5’11″ 

Wt. 192

Games Watched: Tennessee, Florida, Ohio State

One Liner: Smart safety who wins with versatility, aggressiveness, and football IQ

Strengths: 

  • Very good football IQ. Smith plays with an astute knowledge of play development and understands the various looks offenses present and how he should react accordingly. He has a fine knowledge of route development and can understand blocking schemes to come down and attack as a great processor.
  • Good range. Smith has solid range, and while he isn’t the best athlete, his football smarts allow him to be in places faster than most players with his traits normally would be, covering up athletic deficiencies.
  • Good aggressiveness. Smith is an aggressive player who tries to be as physical as he can given his current stature. He is a willing enforcer in the running game and attacks upfield with physicality to bring plays to halt. However with his frame I question if this will translate to the next level, although his toughness is a big positive.
  • Good fluidity. Smith has the fluidity to flip his hips and move diagonally in his zone as a deep safety. He is a non linear athlete that can provide some skill in zone coverage from the slot when needed.

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate size. Smith’s size will be the factor holding him back from being a versatile piece on defense. While his athleticism may prevent consistent deep safety looks, his size may prevent him from moving in closer to the box as he struggles wrapping up the bigger bodies in space.
  • Adequate man technique. Smith shouldn’t be used too often as a man corner due to below average technique in off and press. He is a little late to diagnose what is going on and doesn’t have effective jams or punches to disrupt the route. His hips are ok in terms of fluidity but man looks really won’t be his strength moving forward.
  • Adequate athleticism. Smith is a fluid player but his long speed and bursts are questionable. I think this is less of a concern for him due to his football IQ and smarts, but nonetheless this may play a role in how he performs moving forward, and reduces his ceiling. 

Overall Assessment: Christopher Smith is an instinctive, plus processor that can find a home as a deep safety in the NFL. I trust his smarts to make up for some athletic deficiencies, and I think his size concerns could be marginalized as long as he can win with his ability to read the field and attack quickly. Smith is a tough player, who’s physicality will encourage teams to give him opportunities from the box where he can make first contact quickly on ball carriers and disrupt the middle of the field looks for QB’s in the passing game. Smith has a lower ceiling due to below average athletic traits, but I like the contribution he can have to a team as a rotational defensive back that has the potential to become a solid free safety or nickel zone defender.

Scheme Fit: Cover 2/3 Free Safety

Pick Projection: Day 2

Grade: 6.29