Prospect Profile: CB, Jimmy Smith, Colorado
Jimmy Smith is a player who’s draft stock will greatly depend on the pre-draft workout process. Smith is very tall 6-2 and some predict that he might run a 40 yard dash in the low 4.4s or even in the 4.3. If Smith, at his height, can run a 40 yard dash that fast then he might be the Dominique Rodgers Cromarite of this year’s draft and I think a possible selection for the Giants who could be looking to draft an elite defensive athlete in this draft. Or any number of teams looking to bolster their secondary like the Lions, Texans, Eagles among many others.
Measurables
6-2 202 pounds reportedly running the 40 sub 4.4
If the reports are true about Smith (and CBS Rob Rang says they are accurate according to scouts) then that is blazing for a 6-2 cornerback.
Stats
68 tackles (50 solo), no interceptions, 4 passes defensed (these stats don’t tell the story as I’ll write about in the final thought)
Video, scouting reports, and more after the page break.
Video
The first is a game vs Oklahoma.
Scouting Reports
"Positives: Great mix of size and speed, has a tall frame and a very fast top gear… Is a consistent wrap-up tackler, will not deliver the big hit or drive ball carriers back, but does a good job of wrapping at the waist and not letting go… Is a very athletic player, appears to be smooth when changing directions, flows well to the ball… Has experience in press coverage, jams receivers with a good hand pop, plays more physical at the line than thin frame would suggest… Does a very good job of playing the ball with the correct hand, does not open body to the ball when he knows he won’t get to it, avoids giving up a lot of big plays because of that… Has pretty good instincts and awareness, is quick to distinguish between pass and run plays, even when lined up in press coverage… Has very good body control when attacking the ball in the air, has a solid vertical leap and will meet the ball at the highest point… Has the potential to be a very good man-to-man lockdown corner in the NFL, moderate to high upside at the position.Negatives: College production could have been better, only recorded three interceptions in four years… Appears a little thin, might struggle against receivers with bigger frames in the NFL, appears to have a lack of leverage when making tackles… Looks a little stiff in the hips when opening up out of close man coverage, needs to work on getting a little lower in his backpedal and exploding out of it when changing directions… Sometimes takes a little too long to locate the ball in the air, ball skills could be a little better… Needs to work on zone coverage, does not read plays off the ball as well as he does when in press coverage"
Position Ranking: #3
"Strengths: Very good size, ideal for the position. Shows a short and smooth backpedal with good bend and balanced technique in his pass drop. Very physical press cover corner. Has the light feet to bounce quickly into the route; no trouble with bump and run coverage. Consistently able to extend arms at the snap and get inside of the receiver, re-directing or slowing up his route timing.Has the speed to run downfield with talented receivers; uses long arms to be disruptive on deeper throws and also when defending the shorter routes. Better quickness than I anticipated when sent on the corner blitz and uses length and size to be disruptive and close on the quarterback- doesn’t tip off his blitz. Good tackler, uses arms to wrap and bring down consistently. Wasn’t challenged by quarterbacks much, and consistently shut down his side of the field on one-on-one coverage. Throws his body around to make tackles. Doesn’t allow a bad play to affect his game, gets right back on the horse.Needs Improvement: Played mostly man coverage. Aggressiveness works against him as he tends to bite down on initial move, losing leverage and leaving him susceptible to the big play at times. Recovery speed is adequate to good, but won’t be able to recover in time to always turn his head or get hands out in front of him at the next level. Has trouble with smaller, quicker receivers on an inside release. Doesn’t always play the run with the same intensity, picks and chooses when he wants to be involved. Will lose concentration or misjudge receivers release quickness from time to time, allowing receiver to get square on him in off coverage.Bottom Line: Overall I was impressed with Smith’s ability as a 6?2 cover corner. He moves well for his size and can be a legitimate starting corner in the NFL. Most bigger cornerbacks have trouble flipping their hips and keeping their footwork sound in man coverage, especially when pressing the receiver, not so with Smith. Though Smith doesn’t show the easiest hips in his turn, they aren’t overly tight and his foot quickness and technique allows him to quickly get established in coverage.He will need some work if asked to play in a zone dominant scheme as he wasn’t asked to do it as much at Colorado. He has good but not great downfield speed and seems to lose a step after about 25 yards, length allows him to stay in the play but he will still have trouble with the top end receivers. Smith has the ability to sneak into the first round if he impresses during workouts and is one of a few very talented cover corners in this draft class.Draft Projection: 2nd round."
Read & React: Reads the body language of receivers and keeps his eyes in the backfield to detect what’s coming. Reacts quickly to throws in his area to his assignment or another receiver. Likes to attack the run but gets overaggressive, biting hard on play-action fakes. Some of his quick reactions are negated by his inability to get off blocks.
Man Coverage: Physical press corner. Not afraid to extend his hand (usually his left) at the line of scrimmage to keep receivers from getting into his route. Maintains contact throughout the five-yard area. Lined up against opponents’ biggest receiver, playing outside and in the slot. Flashes good feet in his pedal, but could be lower and more balanced. Must keep his feet moving as receivers approach when playing off; they eat up his cushion quickly. Flips open to trail even if he plays outside leverage and the receiver runs inside. Uses long arms to reach in front of receivers to knock away passes without interfering. Uses strength and good timing to dislodge the ball from his man while he tries to secure the catch. Fast enough to stop quick screens behind the line when playing off. His hands for the interception are improving, but work needs to be done. Needs to tighten up his footwork when transitioning from pedal to plant-and-drive.
Zone Coverage: Good awareness in zone coverage. Comes off receivers leaving his area to pick up underneath routes. Stays between two receivers on the outside if he sees his safety help has been taken away by seam routes, but will end up in no man’s land occasionally not trusting over-the-top help. Attacks receivers in front of him. Size makes him difficult to for receivers to avoid after the catch. His height and vertical make throwing over him and in front of safeties perilous.
Closing/Recovery: Combines speed with length to close on the ball. Good recovery speed for his size, can flip his hips and wrap up receivers in trail coverage. His height and ability to find the ball in the air prevent quarterbacks from challenging over the top. Undercuts crossing routes by closing hard and extending; also takes chances NFL quarterbacks can exploit.
Run Support: Owns prototypical size to be a run stopper on the edge. Effective as a wrap-up or cut tackler. Knows to chase at a deep angle to prevent touchdowns on runs to the opposite side of the field. Usually gets outside position to force plays to linebackers, showing quickness to move around his man, but needs to be more violent with his hands to disengage from the blocks of larger receivers to make tackles.
Tackling: Physical tackler with NFL size and excellent length to wrap, but must get more consistent in the open field. Able to knock away passes and force fumbles while he wraps up receivers. Must drop his hips and break down more quickly attacking ballcarriers on the run, as they can elude him with a quick move or slip off when he tries to tackle shoulder pads.
Intangibles: Maturing player taking over as a leader on the field, directing teammates. Began studying film before his junior season. Missed first two games in 2008 due to injury. Suffered concussion against Baylor in 2010
Big Board
Our big Board #10 Overall
CBS Draft Scout 29th overall
drafttek.com 20th overall
National Football post 21st overall
Most Likely Landing Spots
I think Jimmy Smith is going in the first round here are the most likely landing sports.
#7 overall to the 49ers. If Smith has a great combine he could become the #2 Corernback on the board which would make him a viable option for the 49ers who are seeking help at cornerback. This is a long shot now, but a good possibility if he has a huge combine.
#13 overall to the Detroit Lions-I think this is the most realistic first place he falls. The Lions secondary is pretty bad, their linebackers aren’t great either though. Still they need to improve their defense in the back seven. If Smith represents better value to the Lions than Akeem Ayers or an OL then Smith becomes a good possibility.
#14th overall to the Rams-the Rams are usually mocked a linebacker, a defensive linemen or Julio Jones. but I thin they could really upgrade the CB position.
#19 New York Giants Jimmy Smith is 6-2 and if he’s fast he could really entice the Giants who deploy almost exclusively a B.P.A. philosophy in the draft. Smith just seems to me like a player they could covet.
#23 Philadelphia Eagles-The Eagles have one good cornerback with Asante Samuel, but need a good #2 if they want to improve their defense and let them feel more comftorable blitzing.
#25 Seattle Seahawks-the Seahawks could add talent in a number of different places. CB’s not the biggest need, but if he’s B.P.A. the Seahawks might pull the trigger on Smith
#26 Baltimore Ravens-the Ravens have a lot of F.A. cornerbacks, and their cornerbacks are not great to begin with. I don’t think he’d make it past the Ravens.
Where the Mocks Have Him Falling
NationalFootballpost.com 1st round #26 Baltimore Ravens
drafttek.com 1st Round #13th overall Detroit Lions
walterfootball.com (Greg Cox) 1st Round #23 Philadelphia Eagles
Footballsfuture 1st round pick #32 GreenBay Packers
Bartolis Final Thought
Jimmy Smith is going to get the “label of Boom or Bust Product” or the next “Tyson Alualu” when he goes in the high in the first round in the draft after a good combine, but that’s not fair. Jimmy Smith is a very talented corenrback who has loose flupid hips and competes for the football. He’s not the greatest tackler in the world, and he could use some refinement in his technique but he’s worth a top 15 pick in the N.F.L. Draft.
Smith who is currently 10th on our personal big board is a personal favorite of mine and think he is going to show people this after the combine and leading up to the draft, but don’t be fooled when people start to say he’s “over-drafted” because he’s not. I’ve personally liked Smith for awhile now, but for reference in the past two weeks I’ve heard him being compared to a young less refined Nnamdi Asmougha, which is very high praise (Profootballtalk.com and Wes Bunting of national Football post) and cbs Rob Rang today (2/17) writes: “the early reports of his speed are true. Smith, according to sources, has been running in the high 4.3s to low 4.4s. If he runs that well in Indianapolis, Smith will only have to ease scouts’ concerns about his off-field behavior to guarantee himself a spot in the draft’s opening frame”
This is not a 5-8 cornerback running at that speed. This is a 6-2 200 pound cornerback running at that speed.
I’m not even going to list the stats for Smith this year because this is all you need to know. Jimmy Smith was trageted 20 times this season in man coverage (according to PFT via way of colorado statistics).
That means his man was usually covered.
I’m a fan of Jimmy Smith and expect him to be drafted high and I think he’s worth it because I think the Nnamdi Asmougha comparisons could be spot on. Smith is going to be a better man to man guy who can press at the line of scrimmage than a zone system.
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