SI All-American Candidate Deion Smith Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Deion Smith
Status: SI All-American candidate
Vitals: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Jackson (Miss.) Provine
Committed to: LSU
Projected Position: Wide Receiver
Frame: Lean and athletic frame with tight torso and waist. Good definition in the lower half. He still has a lot of room to add mass, especially in the upper body.
Athleticism: Track sprinter who excels at the 200-meter dash. Speed translates to the football field well. Very good speed release versus off coverage. Stems up corners easily when climbing vertically and is a routine third-level threat. Confident when the ball is in air and will attack to the high point. Solid RAC-skills, his speed and fluid stride make him dangerous in the open field.
Instincts: Typically relies on a 2-step release versus press coverage. Does a solid job of stemming inside initially when running verts. Speed cuts on digs and has good awareness to subtly drift upfield to not run into interior traffic. Good feel at catch points and understands when to nestle to haul. Excellent down-field tracking with his eyes on deep throws.
Polish: Has aligned in all 3 spots in trips sets. His current route tree consists of go’s, stutter-go’s, digs, corners, slants, and quick-game concepts with screens and swings. Needs to improve strength to combat physical press coverage with strength and hand usage. Speed compensates for adequate selling of vertical stems and inexperience at secondary releases. Needs to be more disciplined getting vertical after the catch.
Bottom Line: Speed is the name of Smith’s game. He’s a sprinter who can routinely stack coverage downfield and make big plays. While he needs to continue to add mass and bulk to his frame, the Mississippi native is a confident receiver who can separate using speed cuts and has a chance to be able to run a complete route tree once he develops this area of his game at the next level. Smith fits best as a “Z” receiver to the field or in the slot, in an offense that emphasizes a down-field passing attack.