Name: D’Joun Smith
College: FAU
Class: SR
Position: Cornerback
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 190
Background/Character | Leadership: 9 | Experience: 9 | Off-the-Field: 9 |
| Mental Capacity: 9 | Mental Toughness: 10 | Durability: 8 |
Smith is a high-character player that has endured some bumps in the road prior to his SR season. He was voted team captain as a SR and seems committed to being a great football player. On the field, he shows high energy and leadership traits. Experienced player that logged major snaps throughout his career.
Final Grade: 9
Athleticism | Balance: 8 | C.O.D: 7 | Explosiveness: 6 |
| Flexibility: 6 | Coordination: 8 | Body Type: 7 |
He’s a good athlete but does not stand out amongst the rest. He plays with plus balance throughout his backpedal, but he will lose his feet on some cuts. He changes directions decently, but his fluidity is average to begin with. He’s got decent length but needs to add significant muscle before he hits the field as anything more than a rotational piece.
Final Grade: 7
Overall | Football IQ: 8 | QB Vision: 7 | Tackling: 7 |
| Range: 7 | Hit Power: 8 | Physicality: 8 |
Smith is a willing tackler and shows good physicality for a cornerback. His mindset is aggressive and that’s a definite positive, but until he adds weight he will be a liability breaking toward the ball and challenging receivers. Makes a great effort toward finishing plays and especially tough as a run defender; giving him nickel back potential. Sticks his nose into the mess.
Final Grade: 7.5
Coverage Talent | Body Control: 8 | Ball Skills: 6 | Lateral Quicks: 7 |
| Hip Fluidity: 7 | Turn & Run: 9 | Closing Speed: 8 |
Smith has all of the physical traits to become a decent NFL starter on the outside. He plays the ball well when he sees it, but overall awareness is poor. He doesn't turn and locate the ball effectively at all. Has a good closing burst to play the ball, and is smooth in turn and run situations. Ball awareness could limit his potential.
Final Grade: 7.5
Coverage Technique | Press Technique: 8 | Zone Drops: 6 | Timing: 6 |
| Hand Usage: 8 | Footwork: 7 | Positioning: 7 |
Good press technician with length. Will lose on occasion with his hands, but adding muscle will help. Very disciplined against stutter step and release tactics. Footwork on cuts is an issue. He will waste movements when coming back for the ball. Good cover corner but needs to locate the ball to avoid pass interference calls. Can be too aggressive downfield.
Final Grade: 7
| Player Comparison: | Aaron Colvin |
| Projected Draft Position: | 3rd/4th Round |
| Best Scheme Fit: | Press-man/Cover 3 |
| Injury History: | Ankle in 2014 - Missed 1 game |
| Career Accolades: | Team captain in 2014 |
| Career Stats: | 113 total tackles, 8 INTs, 30 PDs |
Final Analysis
Smith has played football for his entire life, and he has a great mindset for the cornerback position. All of his snaps came outside of the hashes, so his ability to play nickel could be limited. But as a boundary cornerback he has the length desired to fit most schemes. He has to add muscle, being wiry at this point in time.
With as much experience as he has, he can contribute in limited doses as a rookie, but his best option would be to add weight and compete in training camp the following season. When Smith is facing the line of scrimmage he shows good ball skills and burst back to force an incompletion or get the interception.
He seems to have good hands and judgment of leverage. He does not look back toward the ball when downfield in man coverage as often as he needs. With his frame he tends to get grabby and draw pass interference penalties. Confidence and more strength could help.
Smith projects as a rotational player and special teams contributor, with some upside as a potential starter in the future.
Final Grade: 7.10 - 4th Round Value