SI All-American Candidate Armorion Smith Highlights and Evaluation

Armorion Smith is a safety prospect from River Rouge High School in River Rouge, Mich. Smith is an SI All-American candidate.

Prospect: S Armorion Smith
Projected Position: Strong Safety/Linebacker
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds
School: Ecorse (Mich.) River Rouge
Committed to: Cincinnati

Frame: Tall and lean, with burgeoning muscle. Adequate width across shoulders, chest. Long, sinewy arms. Slender, developing lower half. Plenty of room for additional mass as needed. 

Athleticism: Above-average speed, with a better burst. Long-strider who reaches fifth gear in a hurry. Good short-area quickness; clean in and out of cuts. Powerful tackler who plays bigger than weight suggests. Questionable ball skills. 

Instincts: Physical. Packs major punch as a tackler. Quick to diagnose and flow downhill in run support. Extremely effective in pursuit of backside and center field; takes good angles to the football. Dangerous blitzer. Reads quarterback’s eyes in coverage, occasionally baiting easy interceptions, deflections. 

Polish: Plays everywhere defensively: deep safety, edge, outside corner, and inside linebacker. Shows surprisingly good footwork when matched up one-on-one. Needs to add strength, weight. 

Bottom Line: Smith has good instincts and footwork in coverage, but is most disruptive playing closer to the LOS – hinting a potential position switch to WILL. Whether playing strong safety or linebacker, expect Smith to emerge as a multi-year starter for Cincinnati, using his impressive athletic tools to make plays all over the field.