Cam Smith 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• 2021 second-team All-SEC
• Participated in the 2019 Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and All-American Bowl

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Mixed coverages but plenty of man
• 2022 projected role: Second-year starting cornerback 

Pros: Cam Smith is a highly-competitive defender that plays the game with confidence and physicality. He’s a twitchy athlete with good speed, loose hips, and quick feet that lead to sticky reps in man coverage. Smith is patient and balanced at the line of scrimmage and he’s more than willing to crowd and leverage releases to create early disruption on routes. I love the way he competes to get off blocks and tackle. He’s an enthusiastic tackler that is never passive. Smith features dynamic click-and-close ability when driving back down the stem to invade the catch point. He is a poised defender that never panics. Smith showcases outstanding ball skills where his body control ability to locate the football leads to exciting plays on the ball in the air. Overall, Smith is a sharp processor with excellent play recognition skills. 

Cons: While it’s easy to love his aggressiveness as a tackler, there are times that Cam Smith doesn’t do a good enough job wrapping up and looks to take out the feet of the ball carrier, which leads to an occasional whiff. That said, his tackling efficiency drastically improved from 2020 to 2021. For his physical style of play, ideally he’d have a touch more weight on his frame. I find Smith to be mostly patient and balanced at the line of scrimmage but he does have some over-eager moments when looking to create jams where he fires his hands with dead feet and it causes him to fold at the waist and get off-balance.

Cam Smith NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino