2023 NFL Draft Profile: CB Cam Smith

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A native of Blythewood, South Carolina, Cam Smith appeared in four seasons for the South Carolina defense. He played in 33 total games for the Gamecocks, while becoming a starter in the last couple of seasons. Smith earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2021. In total, he tallied 91 tackles, 24 passes defended and six interceptions during his college football career.

Top Strengths

Man Coverage Skills

Despite being over-eager at times, there is plenty of smoothness to Cam Smith in man coverage. His competitiveness alone makes him worthy of being trusted in one-on-one matchups on an island. Given his overall athleticism and footwork, Smith is able to stick step-for-step with basically any receiver. The transitions that he shows provide him instant leverage and a sudden click-and-close ability. Additionally, Smith has shown an abrupt recognition of landmarks and body positioning. When you play as sticky as he does, there are a variety of ways that you can affect the game with being a pest-like defender.

Ball Skills

Cam Smith presents a tenacious nose for the football. The way in which he attacks the ball at the catch point, results in instant frustration for opposing quarterbacks and receivers. As a cornerback, the ball tracking ability is paramount for being able to compete in the deep areas of the field. Smith is not just rapid when attempting to locate the football. In fact, he can sometimes beat the receiver to finding the ball in the deeper areas of the field. More importantly, Smith exudes soft, natural hands and excellent body control at the catch point, when given the opportunity to jump on a ball.

Football IQ

Instincts and awareness is critical to any football player. Though, the idea of having football intelligence may not matter more for any position than cornerback. You also want to see a cornerback boast a great deal of confidence. It is safe to say, Cam Smith fits those requirements to a tee. His processing speed is just as sharp as his foot speed and lateral quickness. For example, he is able to diagnose play recognition and route concepts urgently. Smith can change the momentum of a game, simply by baiting an opponent into falling asleep and allowing him to pounce.

Areas Of Improvement

Consistency In Run Support

There is no denying the effort of Cam Smith when attempting to help in run support. But at the same time, the angles that he takes can sometimes lead to wide open lanes for the opposing ball carrier. Smith may also be inconsistent with finishing his tackle attempts. In the end, his modest size and length can be overtaken by opposing blockers and running backs swiftly. Smith can also get burnt by coming in at a high pad level.

Jamming At The Line Of Scrimmage

Cam Smith is exceptional in man coverage already. Yet, there is still room for improvement in a specific area. Smith can be all over the place when attempting to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. His hand placement and timing can be both erratic and late, respectively. On the other hand, Smith can lose his balance when his arms extend before his feet get moving. As simple as that may sound, that begins to take away the tremendous athleticism and fluid transitions of this cornerback. More consistent results in one-on-one matchups could materialize with better technique in this area.

Managing Physicality

Definitely, you would rather have to tone someone down, if necessary, with their physicality. The aggressiveness of Cam Smith will help in spots. However, there are certainly moments where he became too grabby while in coverage. This can show up at the line of scrimmage and at the catch point, to boot. Elsewhere, Smith displays reaching out for an opponent’s hips or chest, if he is late in winning leverage battles. That can lead to a sense of panic from the South Carolina product when needing to recover and readjust.

Ideal Role

There is no question, Cam Smith is strictly designed to be playing outside cornerback. He is likely going to be most successful when playing in man coverage most of the time. Possibly, Smith may also benefit from joining an aggressive style of defense. Being in a defense that pressures and blitzes heavily may be best. With his athleticism and ball skills, Smith could quickly put a thorn in the side of a team’s WR1 or WR2.

Potential Fits

There are many teams that could use someone like Cam Smith, as you can never have too many cornerbacks. That is especially true in today’s pass-happy NFL. Let’s list three teams that could make sense for Smith. For starters, the Minnesota Vikings stand out. Minnesota continues to search for corners on the outside. With Smith’s success in man coverage, that could be a top landing spot with new defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

On the flip side, the Pittsburgh Steelers could make sense. Pittsburgh has been in desperate need of youth and more impact plays on the ball at cornerback. If they can find that, a dominant Steelers defense becomes more complete. Finally, Cam Smith could be a possible fit for the New Orleans Saints, as they look to build more depth around Marshon Lattimore.

Be on the lookout for more FPC 2023 NFL Draft prospect profiles throughout the next month. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.