Cam Smith

	A	B	C	D	E	F
1	Cam Smith	South Carolina	RS Junior
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3	Positional Rank:	Grade:	Height:	Weight:	2022 Coverage Stops	2022 Missed Tackles
4	6	Early-Mid Third	6'	188	2	5
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6	Career Stats:	Tackles	Assisted Tackles	Interceptions	Pass Deflections	Completion Percentage
7	2022	23	4	1	5	47%
8	2021	31	10	3	11	47%
9	2020	10	6	2	2	57%
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11	Overview:
12	Strengths:	Notes:
13	Fluidity	He seems to glide across the field. Nothing about his movements are choppy, yet he still has good acceleration. This helps him to play off and zone at a high level.
14	Versatility	Smith is comfortable in both zone and man coverage. He has good ball skills, and can make plays regardless of coverage type.
15	Backpedaling	He comes off the line smoothly while keeping the receiver in front of him longer than most other cornerbacks. This allows him to not commit on false moves and maintain arm extension and general route disruption for a longer duration.
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17	Weaknesses:	Notes:
18	Getting off of Blocks	Smith gets completely locked up by blocks often.
19	Inside Moves from Press	He gets beat often across the middle from press, and his recovery is only adequate when he does. He will allow the receiver one step while staying on him from behind as well, which would be considered open in the NFL even if it is not always exploited in college.
20	Delayed Reactions	He can be slightly too late out of a break, thus giving up a step in coverage. He is occasionally slightly too late closing in from off coverage, which is the difference between a reception and a pass break up. He is also occasionally late reacting to the run. These delayed reactions seem odd for an athlete of his caliber with the success that he has had, but will be exploited more in the NFL.
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22	Film:
23	Game:	Takeaways:
24	Kentucky (10/08/2022)	Suboptimal footwork from split step, but kept hips low. A bit flat-footed on many plays. Did not commit to hip rotation until the receiver did. May not have straight line speed to match a burner. Not eager to get involved in the run game. Typically blankets from press in short areas. Hop in coverage after split step. Appears lazy at times, but not getting targeted. Good length. Smooth lateral movement. Gets a bit grabby at times. Great first step. Quick off the edge, but inefficient releases. Good grip and tackle radius. Not committing to any false steps by the opposing receiver. Good contact to blanket man downfield. Good sideline corner from press. Plays both sides of the field. Does not plant and close as much as drift to his man in off coverage.
25	Arkansas (09/10/2022)	Entertaining jump onto pile. Smooth movements from off coverage. Completely locked up from block on outside run. Allowed space on comeback, but tackle made immediately after. From off coverage, this is expected but still noteworthy. Could not see plant on film. Immediate and fluid acceleration to make low tackle at the line. Plays a lot of off coverage. Good tackling and closing speed. Body tackle. Struggles with blocks. Slow hip rotation in press with poor footwork and rounded change of direction on the receivers break. This one play put him down a few pegs. He looks lazy in his breaks, and gives up a step on the inside too easily from press. Injured.
26	Clemson (11/27/2021)	Good line physicality. Comfortable backpedaling off line. Fluid hips. Acute angle to turn and run. Late to diagnose quarterback run. Slower burst and seemingly low effort. Arm over to pull off block. Kept eyes on the ball for easy interception. Playing the nickel role often with off coverage from the slot. Aggressive at the line. Good length. Gets beat to the inside on press more than he should throughout his tape. Keeps eyes on quarterback from zone. Not eager to get into traffic on run plays. Good line contact and spacing. Fluid first rotation, but got lazy in coverage not expecting the proceeding move that left his man wide open. Fluid hip turns through contact. Excellent zone read for PBU. Good reactions from playing safety to identify the screen. Missed tackle. Allowed step inside.
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28	Attributes (at a glance):		Grade / 10:	Notes:
29	Coverage	Press	7	Good line contact and fluidity in his movements. He does not expect double moves, and there are plenty of reps throughout his tape where he allowed too much separation.
30		Soft Press	6.5	This removes an element of physicality, and Smith is not the best at turning and running with receivers. While his movements appear fluid, he is often slightly late to react, leading to a slight positional disadvantage. This can then be exploited on proceeding breaks.
31		Off / Squat	8	Has good vision on the quarterback and his man. Stays with his may downfield more reliably from off coverage.
32		Zone	8	He is a good zone player who spaces well and glides to where he needs to be. He understands how to keep his eyes on the quarterback and pick up who enter his zone. This is only lower because his quickness to click and close is not quite where it could be.
33	Man	Stickiness	6.5	Smith does not always blanket his man. A lot of this may seem as if it is due to how often he plays zone, but receivers pull away from him in press too often for comfort.
34		Hips	8.5	Smooth and seamless rotations. He can play a bit high at times, but this can be refined.
35		Line Contact	9	Great line contact, often redirecting routes as he pleases.
36		Size/Strength	7	Great length, but a bit lean. He will likely put on some muscle over the next few years.
37		Accel/Decel	6	Recovery speed is not what it could be. He is often slower to plant his foot and burst towards a play. He is not as sudden in his movements as he could be.
38	Instincts	Anticipation	8	Great instincts and anticipation from zone coverage. His route anticipation in man is considerably less so, leaving this grade at an 8/10.
39		Playmaking	8	Through 2021 and 2022, he has four interceptions and 15 pass break ups on 70 total targets. He will go after the ball if he gets the chance.
40		Football Intelligence	8.5	Cam Smith has great open field instincts, and understands how to read the quarterback and make play on the ball from zone coverage. He is not always aware of the route his direct opponent will run, thus lowering this grade slightly.
41	Ball Skills	Hands	8	One dropped interception on the season.
42	Ball Skills	Contested Catch	8.5	Again, he is good at the catch point with great ball skills, but is on the lighter side for a cornerback. Gaining some muscle will help in this regard.
43	Zone	Route Awareness	7	While typically anticipatory with regards to where the ball is going, he does not run routes for his opposition. He is reactive to the break when only one man is in his zone.
44		Discipline	9	He is a smart zone player who plays the position very well overall.
45		Jumping Routes	8	From zone, he is excellent at jumping routes by reading the quarterback.
46	Open Field	Tackling	2	He missed five tackles in 2022, which is hardly acceptable on a season with 27 total. There are some plays where he blows up a play at the line of scrimmage in the open field towards the boundary, but the majority of the time looks as if he is avoiding the run game.
47		Pursuit	3	He is rarely running full speed in pursuit. He also appears lazy on the field at times with either slightly delayed reactions, or little attempt to pull off of a block and make a play when he has teammates around.
48		Speed	6.5	4.4 speed is fine, but the combination of allowing a step in press at times and lacking elite recovery speed could lead to some big time plays in the NFL.
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50	Final Scouting Report:
51	Cam Smith is a versatile corner who has experience from both out wide and in the slot, and has played every type of coverage effectively. He is a strong zone player who knows how to read the quarterback and react accordingly. Smith has great instincts for the position, and will thrive in a zone-heavy scheme. He also is effective in man coverage with great length and physicality. His build is great for the position, and he has tremendous ball skills at the catch point. While he has some great high-end reps, his consistency is lacking. It seems as if his reactions are delayed on many plays. His hips turn a bit later from press coverage than those of the better press corners in this class, thus allowing a small step of unnecessary separation when breaking inside. There are also plays where the quarterback takes off running or his man makes a second move, and Smith is slow to react accordingly. He almost appears lazy at times with flatter feet on the field, and appears to lack the mentality desired at the position. Along with the occasional delayed reaction, he does not often put much effort in the run game. He is slow to pull off of blocks on screens, and misses too many tackles for comfort. While there are plays where he diagnoses the play early and breaks it up, there are many plays where he is a step late as well. He seems extremely comfortable sitting back, reading the quarterback, and trying to make a play on the ball, there there are just a couple of areas that he needs to clean up. Cam Smith is likely going to struggle in his first year in the NFL. Routes where he allows a small amount of space inside will be considered open in the NFL, unlike college where the target will usually not come his way if he has a hand on the opponent. As a player with some bad tendencies into press coverage, the learning curve may be steep. Smith has the physical ability and has displayed the technique, coverage skills, and movement fluidity to become a solid cornerback. That said, he also lacks the burst and suddenness of other more toolsy cornerbacks, which limits his maximal potential at outside corner. He still is a solid prospect overall, but it is not all there yet with his lack of consistency and some of the low-end reps sprinkled throughout his film.
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53	Projections:
54	Likely	Smith will likely be thrust into a starting role his rookie season, and struggle a bit while he develops and refines his consistency.
55	Optimal	Ideally Smith gets drafted into a zone-heavy scheme, adds some muscle, and becomes a consistent playmaker.
56	Pro Comparison	Greg Newsome II. Newsome has a quicker recovery, while Smith may have slightly better instincts in zone coverage.
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