Prospect of the Day: Utah CB Sean Smith

By Chris Sullivan

With news coming in that the Seahawks will be visiting with Sean Smith sometime this week (and Aaron Curry on Thursday, in case you haven't heard), I thought it might be worth it to look at the Utah Cornerback with a bit of detail.

The first thing that jumps out at you about Sean Smith is that he's gigantic. Standing at 6'3"+, he would instantly please all those Ruskell critics who are willing to be pleased (many others will bemoan the pick as being a high concussion risk due to the 6'2" doors common in the VMAC or something). Yes, Smith is big but he's also fast, clocking a 40-yard dash in the 4.43-4.47 range at his pro day and a 4.50 at the Combine. Very few CBs in the NFL are this tall (Asomugha is considered tall at 6'2"), and the natural inclination would be to move him to safety. Due to his speed and his incredible ball skills (he was an all-state WR in high school), Smith might be able to hang in at corner. He reportedly plays very well against big receivers, especially those who aren't burners. In the last two seasons, Smith snagged 9 interceptions (YouTube him for the most amazing one) and registered 15 passes defensed.

The big knocks against Smith are that he is a tweener (CB/Safety) and his hips lack fluidity. For a guy his size, he has surprisingly good feet though, and has the speed and athleticism to catch all but the speediest WRs once they are past him.

The big Ruskell knock against Smith is that he's basically a two-year starter at his position (he played WR his freshman year and is coming out after his junior season). He's not strong enough to go toe to toe with guys like Larry Fitzgerald, but that can be worked on. He has a ton of upside and could be looked at very hard if he impresses in his interview. I don't know that the Hawks would value him at their 2^nd Round pick, but if he's still around when their third round pick comes up, he might be worth a shot.

Update: here's the youtube video. ~END~