Torrey Smith-2011 NFL Draft Scouting Report
I absolutely love Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith. He has produced statistically in his career and has the physical tools for NFL success. I have confidence that he will be great in the NFL.
Smith has solid physical ability. He has average height (6’1), he weighs in at a solid 204lbs (though he looks like a twig on film), and he has excellent speed (4.37 40 yard dash). He also has excellent athleticism, evidenced by his 41 inch vertical jump (4th best at the combine), but he has microscopic, 8 5/8 in hands, which really hurt him catching the football (2nd smallest at the combine). His physical tools are among the best in this draft class.
Smith has above average stats. In 2010, he got 1,055 receiving yards on 67 catches with an impressive 15.7 yards per catch. At first, the 1,055 receiving yards, ranked 26th in the FBS, seems mediocre for a first round wide receiver, but it should be noted that only 2 receivers with more receiving yards played on teams with fewer passing yards than Maryland’s 2,791 (to my surprise, it was Toledo’s Eric Page and Bowling Green’s Kamar Jorden), and Smith was one of 5 FBS receivers who got over 1,000 receiving yards playing on a team that got 3,000 passing yards or less (Page, Jorden, UTEP’s Kris Adams, and Washington State freshman Marquess Wilson). Considering the fact that Smith didn’t play on a pass first team, the 1,055 receiving yards he got last year were actually pretty impressive. He also got a respectable 827 receiving yards sophomore year.
Smith is a decent route runner. He has good quickness in and out of breaks, he is outstanding at using head fakes to shake off his man in his routes, and he is good at finding holes in the coverage scheme to get open. He also accelerates very quickly into his routes. However, I see him telegraph his routes when running over the middle, and he could really afford to fix his footwork in his routes. His quickness and fluidity gives him potential as a route runner, but he is yet to make much of it because of his poor footwork.
Smith is a phenomenal big play threat with the ball in his hands. He has great vision, toughness that will allow him to break tackles, and a lot of elusiveness and quickness in the open field. He also accelerates and reaches top speed very quickly, helping him regain speed after escaping a tackle.
Smith has outstanding intangibles. He plays the game ideal on field intensity, he overcame a really tough childhood (he was the oldest of seven children living with a single mom), and he has a great work ethic. He also has a lot of passion for the game, he is an effective run blocker for his size because of his toughness.
Smith’s biggest issue is his hands. Their I don’t see him drop too many passes, but I frequently see him trap passes against his frame. Based on his measurables at the combine, he clearly traps passes against his frame because he has tiny hands (8 5/8 in). However, on film, it seems as though that Smith has enough coordination to usually get away with trapping passes against his frame. I rarely see him drop passes. He is also good at adjusting to the poorly thrown football and he has great body control in the air.
Overall, Smith’s combination of decent size, unbelievable quickness/straight line speed, and superior production make him see like a great player. He will have success in the NFL.
NFL Comparison: Absolutely could not bear more resemblance to Roddy White (he has some Jeremy Maclin in him as well). Both are 6’1, run a sub 4.4 40, have issues with their hands and trapping passes against their frame, they’re raw route runners with route running potential coming out of college, they have outstanding elusiveness in the open field, they both accelerate quickly with an awesome release off the line off scrimmage, they both play with great on field intensity, White has a 14.1 career YPC while Smith has a 14.6 career YPC, and I predict that both will be the 27th overall pick of their respective drafts, both being drafted by the Falcons. Almost spooky.
Grade: 94 (worthy of a mid-first round pick)
Projection: 90 (will be a late first or early second round pick)