Raiders draft Georgia safety Christopher Smith in fifth round
The Las Vegas Raiders need defensive back depth, and while they didn't target it on day one or day two, they have made it an emphasis on day three.They started their Saturday by drafting Jakorian Bennett, the cornerback from Maryland. Their secondary may still be bad as things currently stand, but the Raiders are surely […]
The Las Vegas Raiders need defensive back depth, and while they didn't target it on day one or day two, they have made it an emphasis on day three.
They started their Saturday by drafting Jakorian Bennett, the cornerback from Maryland. Their secondary may still be bad as things currently stand, but the Raiders are surely making an effort to improve it on day three with another selection focused on the position group
The Raiders traded up to pick 170 by trading away picks 204 and 220 to the New York Jets so that they could take Georgia safety Christopher Smith, who has a chance to be a big impact player on this Raiders defense.
Smith finished his 2022 championship season at Georgia with 52 solo tackles, and 62 total. He missed 11 tackles on the year, which is an issue, but you can fix that. Smith played 536 coverage snaps and 271 run defense snaps. He played 547 snaps deep, 132 in the slot, and 130 in the box.
The Raiders could develop him and pair him with Marcus Epps, their free agent acquisition at the safety position. If he pans out this pick could be a steal.
Here is what The Athletic's Dane Brugler had to say about Smith's strengths, who has Smith as the ninth-best safety in the draft:
Rangy, zone instinctive and plays with anticipation … does an excellent job baiting throws and beating receivers to the catch point … smooth hips to transition out of his pedal and play the post … outstanding drive quickness to blow up screens and make plays at the line of scrimmage … above-average ball skills and does a great job raking for the football … only one coverage penalty as a senior (flagged for holding) … determined tackler … comes to balance and stays focused to wrestle receivers to the ground one-on-one … coaches rave about his intangibles, and his teammates gave him the nickname “Soldier” (head coach Kirby Smart: “His toughness and leadership stand out.”) … offers special teams experience (303 snaps), including a 96-yard touchdown on a blocked field goal in the 2022 SEC championship game … started all 15 games as a senior.
Here is what he had to say about Smith's biggest weakness:
Small, thinly-built and doesn’t have the build/bulk desired at the position … lack of length and play strength frequently show on tape … willing tackler, but doesn’t consistently knockback or wrap up … more of a hug-and-drag tackler than drive-through striker … tight ends can rough him up and knock him off their route path … doesn’t have explosive change of direction skills for quick recoveries after a misstep … will misjudge drive angles versus slot speed, allowing easy completions in front of him … missed three games as a junior because of a knee sprain (November 2021) … durability could be a concern because of size.
The Raiders still have some work to do in the defensive backfield, but this is a great start. By next year I think we will see a secondary that goes from one of the worst in the league to an above average group.
