Jacksonville Jaguars: 3 UDFAs who could make an immediate impact

Saivion Smith, CB, Alabama

Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye make up one of the best corner tandems in the NFL today but there is a surprising lack of depth behind the two stars. The team brought in DJ Hayden in 2018 to man the slot but an injury cut his first season in Duval short. The rest of the unit consists of two undrafted free agents from last season in Quenton Meeks and Tre Herndon.

That is why the Jacksonville Jaguars signing of former Alabama cornerback Saivion Smith makes this list. A former top recruit out of IMG Academy, Smith started his career at LSU before deciding that wasn’t the place for him.

After choosing to go the JUCO route to avoid having to sit out a year, he ended up with the Crismon Tide in 2018 and started 12 games. He led the team with three interceptions and proved to be a reliable tackler, totaling 60 stops in his lone year with the program.

Smith has great size for the position (measured 6-foot-1 at the combine) and played against top-level competition while in Mobile, but his limited experience and poor 40 at his pro day (reported in the 4.7s) were enough to cause his fall outside of the draft.

That being said, Smith shows potential as a boundary corner and he’s going to a team with thin depth in that area that will allow him the opportunity to prove himself early on.