Shi Smith 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 5’-9”
Weight: 186 pounds
School: South Carolina
2021 NFL Draft Player Profile: Shi Smith
After four years with South Carolina, wide receiver Shi Smith is taking his talents to the NFL level. The slot receiver is coming off his best season to date, playing in 485 slots while recording 57 receptions for 633 yards and four touchdowns on 84 total targets.
Smith initially entered the college football ranks as a four-star recruit from Union, South Carolina. Despite receiving offers from top programs like Alabama and Clemson, Smith decided to stay local and play for the Gamecocks. The shifty wide receiver managed to make an impact as a true freshman, recording 29 receptions for 409 yards and three touchdowns.
Smith followed his encouraging freshman year with an even better sophomore year. Throughout the 2018 season, Smith recorded 45 receptions for 673 yards and four touchdowns on 62 targets. The production came almost exclusively in the slot, as he only lined up wide on 48 of his 581 snaps. Smith saw a minor decrease in production as a junior, recording 43 receptions for 489 yards and two touchdowns.
Strengths
- Swift, agile player capable of getting open in tight areas;
- Above-average speed and can be hard to catch in the open field;
- Has a nose for finding the weak spots in zone coverage;
- Relatively developed route tree, especially for a college player;
- 92nd percentile college dominator and 28.8% target share – the entire passing game ran through him.
Weaknesses
- Exclusively a slot receiver – lacks the size and strength to line up wide;
- Struggles to fight through contact;
- Needs to be open to stand a chance – not going to outmuscle defenders at the point of attack;
- Rarely beats man coverage;
- Nothing special from an athletic standpoint;
- High drop rate as a Senior.
NFL Comparison: Early-career Cole Beasley
Teams With Need at Position: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers
Projection: 5th/6th Round
Bottom Line on Shi Smith
Shi Smith has one of the best highlight reels of any of the late-round wide receivers. When utilized in the right way, Smith’s able to get open, find holes in zone, and use his impressive agility and speed to churn out big plays. He reportedly looked good at the Senior Bowl practices and was very productive during his final years at college. There certainly is some value in a player like that, and he definitely justifies a draft pick. However, a deeper dive shows that Smith is fighting an uphill battle to NFL relevance.
At 5’-9” and 186 pounds, Smith simply doesn’t have the size or muscle to line up out wide. He’s terrible against man coverage, meaning that he’ll need to spend most of his career in the slot. Even then, he’s not going to overpower slot cornerbacks in contested situations, and he probably won’t break too many tackles.
Ultimately, Smith is probably going to spend his career as a gadget receiver. When schemed into the open field, the South Carolina product can be dangerous. However, the rest of his game is too limited to ever expect him to develop into anything more than a role player.
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