Sean Smith Scouting Report

Sean Smith had an outstanding 2008 season in which he registered 45 tackles, two of them for loss, 9 passes broken up

and five interceptions. Capping off his 2008 campaign was an impressive 2009 Sugar Bowl performance against heavily favored Alabama in which Smith picked off a

pass and ran in for a TD.

Smith is an excellent athlete with great size-speed (4.52) combination. He played cornerback during most of his time (he

actually began his career at WR) at Utah, but will need to switch positions in the NFL. Smith reads the quarterback and breaks quickly to get outside and help

cornerbacks on deep routes, and is able to close quickly on passes in front of him. With very good backpedaling speed, Smith is adept at reading the QB's eyes.

While he has good, not great, recovery speed, he does not get sucked in by play action and has the speed and agility to get to areas in a hurry. Smith also has

great burst to finish, making strong tackles. Smith is a very good run defender who has the instincts and speed to chase down runners.

However, he does

show a tendency to lose a step when he is forced to turn on a dime. Although he is a better than average tackler, Smith is not a run enforcer. He also lacks

experience at the position.

Overall, Smith is probably the second best projected S (behind Illinois' Vontae Davis). Still, he needs to gain more

experience. He is an early second rounder with an outside shot at the bottom of the first round.