Sean Smith DB 6'4 214 Utah Jr. 4.53

Smith began his career as a wide receiver for the Utes. In 2006, he ran for 63 years on seven carries and caught one pass for 12 yards in the first 11 games of the year. He made the in season switch to corner and played the final two games on defense. He remained on defense for the rest of his career, and had a bright sophomore season. He had 32 tackles and four interceptions in 2007. Smith had an even bigger junior year as he gained more confidence in the secondary. He finished the year with 46 tackles and five picks on his way to earning 1st team All MWC honors.

Strengths

Smith has excellent size in the secondary and brings a lot of versatility. He is a great athlete and has a nose for the football. In just over two seasons on defense he has shown that he is a natural in the secondary. Smith has played corner for the Utes and has the natural athletic ability to translate to the NFL. He is physical and does a good job overpowering receivers at the line of scrimmage and taking them out of the action. He should be able to match up very well with bigger receivers at the pro level. His size and physical ability should translate over well to the safety position if a team wants him to play that spot as well. Smith is a work in progress, but that gives him tremendous upside considering how quickly he has adjust to the secondary. He will only get better with more experience.

Weaknesses

Smith may lack the change of direction skills to remain a full time corner in the NFL. He will have problem with quicker receivers and sticking them in and out of cuts. He also lacks the recovery speed to make up for any missteps he may take on plays, which could make the move to safety necessary.

Future

Smith is a ballhawk that has a lot of upside in the NFL. He should be able to slide over to safety easily, but still possess the cover ability to cover bigger receivers at times. That versatility and upside is going to make him attractive to NFL teams come April. He had a good showing at the combine, showing some speed and explosion that some may have questioned. He ran a 4.53 in the 40 and had one of the better 10 yard splits of all players. Smith looks like a solid pick in the second round, and could play both corner and safety, depending on the team.