Cam Smith

Latest On Ravens’ Draft Approach

April 26th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Ravens fans are all too familiar with the old Ozzie Newsome effect on the first round of the draft. While the fanbase often clamored for offensive weapons for Joe Flacco, Newsome continuously left them wanting.

From 2010-2014, Newsome used Baltimore’s top picks on linebacker Sergio Kindle, cornerback Jimmy Smith, linebacker Courtney Upshaw, safety Matt Elam, and linebacker C.J. Mosley. He followed it up with two swings in 2015, using the team’s first- and second-round picks on wide receiver Breshad Perriman and tight end Maxx Williams, respectively, but neither pick lived up to their draft stock.

Newsome shocked the world in his last draft as general manager of the Ravens back in 2018, using the team’s first four picks on offensive players Lamar Jackson, Hayden Hurst, Orlando Brown, and Mark Andrews. Since his departure, his successor, Eric DeCosta, has gone for a bit more balance, drafting each an offensive and a defensive player with the team’s top two picks each year, usually trying to add offensive weapons for Jackson like wide receiver Marquise Brown, running back J.K. Dobbins, and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

The same is expected for Thursday, as the Ravens are reportedly “focused on adding playmakers” for Jackson, in an attempt to prove their intentions of keeping him around, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN. Many expect this to mean a wide receiver. Baltimore, as usual, has an impressive collection of tight ends in Andrews and second-year players Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.

They also are expected to return a healthy 1-2 punch of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, both of whom have helped lead one of the league’s best rushing attacks alongside Jackson. It should be noted, though, that Graziano’s comment about adding playmakers was in reference to Texas running back Bijan Robinson. He believes that, if Robinson begins to slide further and further back in the first round towards the Ravens’ No. 22 pick, DeCosta may make a move to trade up and nab another playmaker to support Jackson.

On the other side of the spectrum, Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post confirms that the Ravens are looking to trade in the draft, he just believes it will happen in the opposite direction. La Canfora bluntly states, “The Ravens are shopping this pick.” Granted his mock draft has them trading back one spot to No. 23, he could still be right about the team’s intentions.

Trading back out of the first round was a staple of the Newsome era, usually as a way to acquire more draft capital, something the Ravens lack after the Roquan Smith trade and a move up in last year’s draft to select tackle Daniel Faalele. While DeCosta hasn’t recently shown the same affinity for middle-round draft pick acquisitions, this may be the perfect time for DeCosta to steal a move from his old mentor.

As for what the Ravens would look for when shopping the pick, there’s two likely possibilities. The first of which is congruent with their current needs. If they still desire a young cornerback, there are strong second- or third-round options at the position like South Carolina’s duo of Darius Rush and Cam Smith or Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson.

The second option is a result of this year’s talent-pool. It’s been no secret that the 2023 draft class is not considered especially deep. The Ravens may have the intention of selling their top pick this year in order to acquire much more capital for a draft next year that is projected to have a bit more talent.

With the draft officially less that 24 hours away, we won’t have long to wait and see what happens. Whether Baltimore follows old Newsome tactics of taking the best player available regardless of position, taking a defensive player like a cornerback to replace free agent Marcus Peters, trading back, or even if they take Jackson’s contract negotiations into consideration and go after weapons for the young quarterback, there are options aplenty.

Titans Host DE Keion White, WR Zay Flowers, CB Cam Smith

April 18th, 2023 at 10:53am CST by Adam La Rose

With the deadline for pre-draft visits approaching, teams around the league continue to do as much homework as possible on prospects they could be in range to select. For the Titans, that process has included hosting high-end players on both sides of the ball.

Tennessee recently met with defensive end Keion White and wide receiver Zay Flowers, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter links). White is one of the more intriguing members of this year’s edge rushing class, one which is thought to have a number of potential first-rounders beyond the likes of Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson, Nolan Smith and Lukas Van Ness.

White began his college career at Old Dominion after operating as a two-way player at the high school level. He played tight end in 2018, but then switched to defensive end full-time the following season. His 19 tackles for loss in 2019 led to heightened expectations upon his transfer to Georgia Tech. As a member of the Yellow Jackets, he put himself in the first-round conversation with 7.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss during the 2022 campaign.

Those figures could be a sign of things to come as the 6-4, 267-pounder is still relatively early in his time spent exclusively as a pass rusher. The Titans could be in the market for a high-end addition in that department, after moving on from veteran Bud Dupree earlier this offseason. Tennessee ranked 18th in the league in sacks in 2022, and is in need of long-term edge producers to compliment defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who is in the team’s plans for the foreseeable future.

Likewise, a receiver addition early in the draft would come as no surprise. The Titans struggled in the passing game last season as they began life after A.J. Brown. They used a first-round pick on Treylon Burks in 2022, but more additions should be expected as they look to take a step forward on offense. Flowers has moved up many draft boards following a 1,000-yard campaign in 2022, and he has taken several visits with teams scattered across the first-round order.

The same is also true of cornerback Cam Smith, whom the Titans hosted (Twitter link via Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport). The South Carolina product is part of a very deep CB class, and has generated attention from several teams looking to add him in the late first or early second round. Tennessee has invested heavily at the cornerback spot recently, using first- or second-round selections on Kristian Fulton, Caleb Farley and Roger McCreary in three consecutive years. They also signed Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency, which should give them a number of options in the secondary.

Tennessee holds the 11th overall pick, one which has been connected to a potential trade-up for a quarterback. If they stay put, though, that selection would be considered a reach for any of White, Flowers or Smith. The Titans’ next pick is No. 41, by which point any or all of them could quite possibly be off the board. If they are able land one of them, however, the team will have done its due diligence ahead of time.

Chiefs Meet With CB Cam Smith

April 2nd, 2023 at 1:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chiefs are once again scheduled to have the last pick of the first round in the upcoming draft, but a number of high-end prospects will be available with the 31st selection. Kansas City could use it to add to their secondary, as they did last year.

The Chiefs hosted former South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith on a pre-draft visit recently, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That marked the first of what will be several sit-downs with NFL teams, given Smith’s status as one of the top corners in this year’s deep class at the position.

The redshirt junior appeared in 32 contests during his college career, playing a key role in the Gamecocks’ success on the backend. Smith totaled six interceptions and 18 pass breakups, primarily operating as the team’s nickel corner. That allowed him to live up to his expectations as a former four-star recruit and solidify his status as a potential first-round pick. Competition from the likes of Devon Witherspoon, Christian Gonzalez, Joey Porter Jr. and Deonte Banks, among others, could push Smith to the second round, though.

Kanas City invested heavily in their defense last year at the draft, using their first-round picks on cornerback Trent McDuffie and edge rusher George Karlaftis. The former operated as a full-time starter immediately, logging a 95% snap share in his rookie campaign. McDuffie went without an interception during both the regular and postseason, but he was a key contributors in pass coverage on a generally young backend for the Super Bowl champions.

The team’s CB group also incudes fellow 2022 draftees Joshua Williams and Jaylen Watson, who each played a role alongside McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed. The play of the younger members of the unit allowed Kansas City to trade away Rashad Fenton at the deadline, a move which leaves open a vacancy for another addition this offseason. The Chiefs have not brought in any free agent corners, but Smith will be one of many options to choose from if they wish to spend more premium draft capital at the cornerback spot later this month.

South Carolina CB Cam Smith Declares For Draft

December 2nd, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

South Carolina will say goodbye to their starting nickel cornerback as Cam Smith announced on Twitter today that he would be forgoing his senior year and declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. The redshirt junior is the first member of the Gamecocks to make his intentions known.

Smith helped anchor a suffocating Gamecocks secondary unit that finished the regular season sixth in the nation for opposing quarterback completion percentage (53.5%). The team’s secondary will likely have a bit of a makeover next year. In addition to Smith’s departure, outside cornerback Darius Rush and free safety Devonni Reed will be out of eligibility at the end of the season. South Carolina’s other starting outside cornerback, Marcellas Dial, is also a redshirt junior who has yet to make his intentions known. Dial had a career year for the Gamecocks, leading the team in interceptions (3) and passes defensed (11) for the season, so he may also feel tempted to test his value as a pro.

Smith joined South Carolina as a member of the team’s 2019 recruiting class. Coming out of Westwood HS in Blythewood, he was a consensus four-star cornerback and the second-best recruit to come out of the Palmetto State. Smith chose South Carolina over Georgia Tech and fellow SEC competitors Georgia and Tennessee.

Smith retained the ability to redshirt his true freshman season after only appearing in three games and went on to appear in eight games in the team’s shortened 2020 season, starting three as a redshirt freshman. Smith’s redshirt sophomore season would see his most productive year as he was second on the team for interceptions (3) and led the team for passes defensed (11). He’ll leave Carolina with 91 total tackles, six interceptions, and 24 passes defensed over his career.

The 21-year-old is widely expected to be a late first- or early second-round selection this coming April. In an early look at positional prospect rankings, Smith is not as consistently ranked near the top of his position as Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, or Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., who recently announced his own declaration, but Smith caught the eye of ESPN’s Matt Miller, Todd McShay, and Mel Kiper, who ranked him as the second-best cornerback behind only Porter.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Smith will participate in the team’s bowl game, but if he does, he will be able to utilize that extra game, the NFL Scouting Combine, and South Carolina’s Pro Day to attempt to increase his draft stock before the first round commences.