Cam Smith saw his usage expand in 2022 in the Gamecocks defense, going from 32 snaps in 2021 in the slot to 196 in 2022. He has some solid athletic ability, maybe slightly underrated, and had a lot of hype entering the 2022 season after a stellar 2021 season. The question with Smith is if he can stay healthy for a full season, and he’s going to be a trail technique cornerback who can thrive in a heavy man scheme.

Cam Smith has a little bit of upside, but overall is limited to what he can actually improve. He’s not going to be great in zone coverage, and he isn’t going to get more athletic. I think that he can improve his physicality, especially in press, and work on expanding his techniques, but overall isn’t going to improve his game a whole lot. 

Great workout today from Cam Smith @GamecockFB 📍 pic.twitter.com/NHW91I3xUv

— ᴄᴏᴅʏ ᴄᴀʀᴘᴇɴᴛɪᴇʀ (@CodyCarpentier) March 13, 2023

Cam Smith missed the start of 2021 with a foot injury. Missed a game in 2021 with a head injury. Played through a hamstring injury throughout 2022. Missed a game in 2022 with a concussion. 

Cam Smith’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (40)

Speed/Athleticism: 20

• Speed (8.5/10) – Very solid speed. Tested  very well at the NFL Combine. 
• Lateral Quickness (3.5/5) – Moves well laterally. Shows solid movement ability overall. 
• Acceleration (4/5) – Acceleration is fairly good. Much better through his first step and his top gear isn’t great. 

Strength: 15 

• Upper Body Strength (4/5) – Has good upper body strength, especially for the position. 
• Lower Body Strength (4/5) – Very explosive lower body. 
• Brute Power (2.5/5) – Not so much a brute but has some tendencies to use power in some way. 

Hip Flexibility: 15

• Change of Direction (7/10) – Changes direction decently well. Doesn’t look as fluid in his hips as most of the corners in this class. 
• Recovery (4/5) – Solid recoverability. Shows good burst to work back into the play. Trail technique corner. 

Defender Ability (15)

Tackling: 10 

• Tackling Ability (4/6) – Not a great tackler – struggles with bigger bodies. Has a vicious hit. Tends to be a more passive tackler. 
• Space Defending (2.5/4) – Decent space defender. I don’t see the motor that he needs to have. 

Pursuit: 5

• Pursuit Angles (3/5) – Does a good job setting up his pursuit angles. Can get caught up in traffic and is satisfied settling to take a block rather than try to make the tackle. 

Coverage Ability (30)

Man Coverage: 10

• Coverage Ability (5/7) – Does a good job with positioning in trail technique. Can get out bodied by bigger receivers. 
• Physicality (2.5/3) – Good physicality. Attacks the receiver well. Intense physicality makes him difficult to deal with. 

Zone Coverage: 15 

• Coverage Ability (4/7) – Slow to react most of the time. Reads the quarterback and puts too much trust in what he see’s with the quarterbacks eyes. Loses his feel for who is in his zone. 
• Recognition (2/3) – Has flashed the ability to recognize concepts quickly, but isn’t nearly consistent enough. 

Press Coverage: 10 

• Coverage Ability (5/7) – Decent press coverage ability, settles into a mirror technique. Can get handsy at the top of his route. 
• Physicality (1.5/3) – Not a very physical press corner prospect. Very rarely tries to use a jam technique. 

Overall: (76.5) – 3rd/4th Round