Terell Smith NFL Draft Overview
Position: Cornerback
Height: 6′-1″
Weight: 204 pounds
School: Minnesota
2023 NFL Draft: Terell Smith Scouting Report
Terell Smith started his college football career in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, in 2018, at the University of Minnesota. During that 2018 season, Smith played in 11 of the Golden Gophers 13 games, starting nine of the 11 at cornerback. For the season, Smith had 43 tackles (34 solo, nine assisted) while also making an interception, and defending against eight passes. In his second season in 2019, Smith saw a significant drop in his playing time and numbers from the previous season. He appeared in nine of the Golden Gophers 13 games, recording nine tackles (seven solo, two assisted), while also defending against a pass. During the Covid-19 shortened season of 2020, Smith played in five of Minnesota’s seven games recording three tackles, all solo. In 2021, Smith saw his playing time increase. Smith started seven of the 10 games he played in, at corner. He did miss three games due to an injury. On the season, Smith made 16 tackles (11 solo, five assisted), while also recovering a fumble, intercepting a pass, and defending against two others. In his final season at Minnesota in 2022, Smith started all 13 games at cornerback for the Golden Gophers. He had 38 tackles (34 solo, four assisted), including two sacks, while also forcing a fumble and making two interceptions. He also defended against five passes.
Strengths
- Has exceptional footwork
- Has NFL-ready size and strength
- Beats up, and pesters receivers, off the line
- Has the speed to stay with his man, especially on the deep ball
- Limits receivers’ yards-after-catch (YAC), totals
Weaknesses
- Has a lot of potential he has yet to demonstrate, for unknown reasons
- Difficulty making “easy” interceptions
- Gets turned around by receivers with a high football IQ
- Transitions to lateral footwork, need to be smoother and more efficient
- Teams will question why there was a drop from a huge freshmen season in 2018 to a significant drop off in numbers across the board in 2019
NFL Comparison: A slightly less athletic, Jamel Dean
Teams With Need At Position: Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders
Projection: Rounds 4-5
Bottom Line on Terell Smith
Terell Smith has weaknesses that are easily fixable. Because this draft class is full of very talented cornerbacks, Smith will be drafted in either round four or five. Smith’s strengths that will appeal to teams include his exceptional footwork and NFL-ready size and strength. Smith plays receivers aggressively at the line beating up on and pestering them from the snap. He is able to stay with his man in deep coverage thanks to his speed and is also able to limit receivers to minimal yardage, should they make a catch. What teams will question is why there was such a drastic drop in Smith’s numbers from his freshman year at Minnesota in 2018 to the following season. It could be a variety of things, however, some teams may speculate that he may not be working hard at practice or in the weight room, as one of his noted weaknesses appears to be that he could be an even better player than he already is, but for reasons unknown, he is not playing up to his full potential.
Smith’s other weaknesses appear to be very fixable ones. He needs to do a better job of making easy interceptions and not allowing receivers, who may have a higher football IQ, to turn him around in coverage. Smith will have to polish some aspects of his exceptional footwork including transitioning to lateral movements more smoothly and efficiently. Overall, if Smith can get back to the player he was in 2018 and continue to be that player day in and day out, he definitely has the potential to be a star cornerback in the NFL. It appears that what will determine whether he becomes a star or not is dependent upon Smith, himself.
Main Photo Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports
