FREDRICK "FRED" SMOOT
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#2-FREDRICK "FRED" SMOOT Mississippi State University Bulldogs 5:11.2-179

ANALYSIS
Positives... One of the more vocal defensive backs this side of Deion Sanders...Plays with no hesitation, easily identifying and diagnosing the plays...Very smooth in deep coverage, showing excellent plant and drive skills coming out of his breaks...Fluid in transition, displaying good hip swerve in his backpedal...Has a good feel for playing the zone, showing an outstanding closing burst... Gets great elevation in his jumps going up for the ball...Loves to get aggressive with the receivers and has a mind-set that he will steal the ball away from his man.

Negatives... Marginal hitter who misses too many tackles due to his penchant to lunge at his man when going low...Lacks the power to be a physical hitter, preferring to hold on and drag his opponent down...Shows little aggression in run support...Has problems upfield, especially on slants, as he tends to shy off the receiver's shoulders on deep routes.

CAREER NOTES
One of the most colorful characters to ever wear an MSU uniform, Fred is a walking quotation, providing Bulldog fans with his "insights" on his own web page, aptly named "Smoot Smack"... The two-year starter was an All-American transfer from Hinds Community College, lining up at right cornerback in the last two seasons at Mississippi State...The Jim Thorpe Award finalist (given to the top defensive back in the country) finished his career with 102 tackles (81 solos), 28 pass deflections and ten interceptions in 22 regular season games...His ten pass thefts rank fifth on the school's career-record list.

REMIND ME OF... Buffalo's Antoine Winfield.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... The "Mouth that Roared" will be in for quite a culture shock once he starts talking trash in the NFL. Watch how quick his cocky attitude changes going up against the big boys. Unless he concentrates on adding much-needed strength in the weight room, he's nothing more than a flyweight whose mouth caught everyone's attention. He could have easily made my "Most Overrated" list.

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