Smith is a converted receiver who developed into one of the best cornerbacks in the nation before leaving school a year early to enter the 2009 NFL Draft. He is still a neophyte at the position, possessing only 12 starts in 39 career games, but he showed superb hands and leaping ability as a ball thief. Even though he started in only 12 games, he led the team in interceptions during the past two seasons. He ranks fifth on the school single-season record list with 151 yards via interception returns in 2008.

Smith originally joined the program as a running back before shifting to the flank during his redshirt season. The coaches looked at his tall frame and decided that he would make an imposing shutdown cornerback, leading to his third position shift during his time in a Utes uniform.

Smith excelled as a running back, receiver and kickoff return specialist at Blair High School. He earned All-conference, All-State and All-American honors as a senior, the same year that he captured league Offensive Back of the Year accolades. That year, he led the team to its best record in 10 seasons, as he rushed for more than 1,500 yards with 18 touchdowns, adding 547 receiving yards and more than 400 yards in kickoff returns.

One of the team's prized recruits in the 2005 class, Smith spent that season on offense, carrying the ball on the scout team. He competed as an inside slot receiver for the first 11 games of the 2006 campaign, coming up with a 12-yard reception and 63 yards on seven carries (9.0 avg). He was shifted the defensive side of the ball for the final two games, coming up with a pair of assisted tackles.

In 2007, Smith appeared in 13 contests as a reserve defensive back, playing the left corner position, where he started nine contests before moving to nickel back late in the year, earning another starting assignment. He posted 32 tackles (20 solos) with a stop behind the line of scrimmage. He also broke up seven passes and led the team with four interceptions. His four pass breakups vs. New Mexico tied the school single-game record.

As a junior, Smith was named All-American third-team and All-Mountain West Conference first-team. He started all but the Air Force contest (Utes opened with a four-safety alignment), recording 46 tackles (23 solos) that included a sack and two stops for loss. He caused a fumble, broke up nine passes and had five interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. His total of 14 passes defended ranks second in the conference.

GENERAL REPORT

GRADE: 6.26

Body Structure: Smith is a tall boundary cornerback with an impressive wingspan, big hands, high-cut, long legs and solid overall muscle tone. He has a tight abdomen, developed hamstrings and broad chest, looking more like a Cover-2 weak-side linebacker or strong safety rather than a cover cornerback.

Athletic Ability: Smith is an imposing athlete with excellent timed speed for a player his size and can stay tight with the receiver throughout the route progression. Appears to be stiff moving in reverse, taking steps coming out of his break and needs to learn how to stay lower in his pads to be effective. He is more of a drag-down tackler, as he does not really hunker down well to drive through hits. He shows decent agility when changing direction, but his pedal technique is going to be a work in progress, unless moved to another position. He has the rare size and speed to challenge big receivers like Brandon Marshall and Terrell Owens, and could be more inviting to teams that need a big corner. He does show good balance and accelerates quickly to plays in front of him and knows how to use his long reach and elevation skills to high point and pick off passes. GRADE: 6.9

Football Sense: Thanks to past experience on offense, Smith shows good intelligence and a feel for the ball in flight. He is very capable of sniffing out screens and getting into position to make the play, but still must improve upon his tackle technique. He is a smart player with a good knack for reading routes. He plays with good vision, especially when he flips the field after the pass theft. He is a smooth open field runner (just moves adequately in reverse) with superb ball skills, balance and body control when attacking the ball in flight. He is a quick learner who won't have problems dealing with a complicated playbook. GRADE: 6.7

Character: Smith is well-liked by team and staff, but is brash and plays with that cockiness. He is banking his pro career off one decent, not great, season and there are a lot of holes in his game that could have been repaired with another year of tutoring at the college level. GRADE: 5.5

Competitiveness: Smith likes to compete in all phases of the game and will not shy away from contact. He knows how to bait the quarterback and compete for the ball in flight and has shown willingness to step inside the box and compete vs. the run (made 19 plays in run force and 65 in pass coverage in 2008). He is aggressive, confident and likes to compete against the opponent's top receiver. He had nine interceptions in two seasons. GRADE: 6.2

Work Habits: Smith is a hard worker with good training habits, except in the weight room. For a player his size, scouts would expect more power behind his hits; his 10 reps at 225 pounds in the bench press are very poor numbers for any cornerback, much less one with his frame. He needs to become more focused and less enamored by his statistics. The staff says he learns well and is coachable, on time for meetings and accountable, but is still a product of youth. When his body matures, it will be through putting forth hard work in the weight room. GRADE: 6.0

ATHLETIC REPORT

GRADE: 6.44

Key and Diagnostic Skills: Due to his past experience as a receiver, Smith has first-hand knowledge how opponents respond in coverage. He has a good feel for the receiver, hand placement to jam or reroute his coverage assignment. He is quick to read and locate, showing good eyes to spot blocking schemes working inside the box. He has also developed good hand-eye coordination with timing to get the hand in to create the pass breakup. GRADE: 7.2

Man Coverage Ability: Smith might be a better fit inside -- his hip stiffness impacts transition. He shows adequate footwork for a big corner, but his hip tightness prevents him from suddenly changing direction, even though he shows good slipperiness running with the ball after the interception. He has quick feet, but due to his size, he's more comfortable trying to bail and run. Allows too much separation and balls are then caught vs. him. Even with his big frame and reach, he is still not comfortable in press coverage, but does have the speed to run with receivers on plays in front of him. He has the ability to jam receivers at the line, but needs to be more confident shooting his hands (will get on the receiver with good placement, but does not do as well at the line of scrimmage). GRADE: 5.8

Zone Coverage Ability: Smith's long stride helps him make up ground in a hurry, more so on plays in front of him (might be a better fit at safety). He shows the power to combat for the ball in flight and is starting to show ability to read the quarterback and bait him to throw, knowing he has the burst to close on the ball. He seems to get better depth and position playing in the zone than in man coverage, as he uses his frame well to keep everything in front of him (transitions poorly when the receiver gets behind him). With his reach, leaping ability and natural hands, he reacts quickly in attempts to make a play on the ball. GRADE: 7.3

Backpedal Skills: Smith's lack of fluidity in his hips causes him to struggle in transition. He has adequate footwork in his pedal, but is sluggish adjusting to the receiver's cuts on short routes when he is in his backpedal. He reverts to a shuffle-and-bail technique that allows the receiver to separate when he's turning. There are just too many wasted steps in his pedal and this technique is the result of a lack of loose hips. GRADE: 5.4

Ball Reaction Skills: Smith has solid ball reaction skills, using his arm length and leaping ability to win most jump ball battles attempting to get to the pass at the high point. He will round his breaks (stiff hips), but has the burst to the ball and can get physical with the receiver. Still, with that hip stiffness, you can see that he will have some problems (lacks rapid foot turnover). His hands are very natural and while he lacks aggression in run support, he will combat for the ball in flight and it is very rare to see him drop an easy interception. GRADE: 7.9

Range/Recovery: Despite his timed speed, lacks great burst to close -- long strider who can cover ground in front of him, but struggles with transitioning to turn on deep routes -- and can be beaten on deep routes. He can run with receivers in the short-to-intermediate areas, but does not have the sudden catch-up speed when a receiver gets behind him. GRADE: 5.7

Jumping Ability: Smith has the height, arm length, leaping ability and timing to win most jump-ball battles. He shows good ability to jump and track the ball in flight and is fearless going up for the ball in the air when working in a crowd. GRADE: 6.2

Hands: There is no question Smith has pass-catching hands but he's not aggressive using them to jam receivers or fight to shed blocks. He takes good advantage of interception opportunities and has the ability to reach and pluck outside his frame. There are times he will drop the ball when tracking it over his shoulder. GRADE: 7.7

Run Defense: One of his weakest areas. Lacks aggression in run support and throttles down when asked to step inside the box. He struggles to shed when a lineman gets into his body (short arms), as he takes passive strikes in attempts to escape. He does not sink his pads well to get low enough to impact the ballcarrier and does revert to side or arm tackles too often. He's not a good downhill tackler and seems disinterested in getting involved when needed to stop the run. He is a better open-field tackler than in tight areas, but with 80 tackles in 39 games, including 22 starts is a strong indication he is never going to have good tackling skills. GRADE: 5.2

Tackling Ability: Smith tries to compensate for poor tackling technique by trying to get aggressive, but he over-commits and gets fooled by double-moves or head and hip fakes. He is just a drag-down type of tackler who attacks with his arms too often, getting inconsistent results. He can be run over by stronger ballcarriers, but will make the open-field tackle. His marginal strength (10 reps) is most evident in his lack of wrap-up tackling ability, as he fails to square up and bring ballcarriers down. GRADE: 5.0

Compares To: ALAN ZEMAITIS, ex-Tampa Bay -- Smith lacks the loose hips to stay with receivers on deep routes and would be more valuable when used as a centerfield safety than press cornerback. Tall corners with hip stiffness end up like Zemaitis, playing for Hamilton in the CFL in 2008. Move Smith inside to safety and he's at least a Brodney Pool (Cleveland) type of player with great hands and timing to come up with a bunch of interceptions.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.41

--Report by Dave-Te Thomas

Smith started 22 of 39 games at Utah; one at nickel back and 21 at left cornerback … He recorded 80 tackles (43 solos) with a 10-yard sack and three stops for losses of 18 yards … Caused one fumble and deflected 16 passes … Had nine interceptions for 151 yards in returns, including one touchdown … His 151 return yards rank 11th on the school career record list, but were good for fifth on the Utes' single-season record chart behind Norm Thompson (259 in 1969); Erroll Tucker (215 in 1985); Harold Lusk (184 in 1994) and Gary Barker (183 in 1967) … His four pass deflections vs. New Mexico in 2007 tied the school single-game record he shares with Tucker (vs. Air Force, 1984), Clarence Fields (vs. Boise State, 1987), Kareem Leary (vs. Colorado State, 1994), Clarence Lawson (vs. SMU, 1996), Eric Weddle (vs. New Mexico, 2005) and Brice McCain (vs. New Mexico, 2007).

All-American third-team selection by The NFL Draft Report … Listed as the most underrated prospect at his position by that scouting information service … Played in thirteen games, starting twelve contests at left cornerback (Utah started four safeties vs. Air Force) … Made 46 tackles (23 solos), ranking seventh on the team … Added a 10-yard sack, two stops for losses of 12 yards and a forced fumble … Deflected nine passes and intercepted five others for 151 yards in returns (30.2 avg), including one touchdown … Had 65 passes targeted into his area, as the opposition caught 26 of those throws (40.0%) for 273 yards (10.5 yards per pass completion/4.2 yards per pass attempt), two touchdowns and twelve first downs … Registered 10 third-down stops and two more on fourth-down vs. the pass … His main pass coverage assignments totaled 163 yards and two scores on eleven receptions.

Michigan … Smith wasted no time in getting the season off to an explosive start, as he intercepted a third-&-14 Nick Sheridan pass that he returned 20 yards to set up a 19-yard scoring toss from the Utes' Brian Johnson to Bradon Godfrey with 0:13 left in the first half … He also forced the Michigan punt unit on to the field in the third quarter after he deflected a third-&-5 Steven Threet pass … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#82-LaTerryal Savoy (6:03-206)-did not catch any passes vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from one other throw.

Nevada-Las Vegas … Smith made two of his five tackles on third-down plays, adding a pass deflection … He missed his assignment on a 9-yard scoring grab by Otis Nelson on the game's opening possession, but jammed Nelson at the line of scrimmage on a second-&-goal incomplete pass to start the second half … Later in the fourth quarter, he out-jumped Phillip Payne to deflect an Omar Clayton deep pass … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#18-Phillip Payne (6:03-188)-caught one pass for 5 yards vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from four other throws.

Weber State … Smith registered five tackles and deflected one pass … He stopped Bryant Eteuati from getting to a third-&-6 pass early in the first quarter, forcing Weber State to punt … He did the same to Tim Toone on a third-&-2 incompletion midway through the second stanza, as WSU again punted … Toone beat Smith on a 35-yard scoring pass, but the cornerback then jammed the receiver on a third-&-8 incomplete toss to begin the second half … Toone was again rerouted by Smith on a third-&-12 pass attempt to start the fourth quarter … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#81-Tim Toone (5:10-167)-caught one pass for a 35-yard touchdown vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from four other throws.

Oregon State … Taking on one of the elite receivers in the Pac-10 Conference, Smith collected six tackles (3 solos) with one pass break-up … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#19-Sammie Slaughter (6:00-186)-did not catch any passes vs. Smith.

Wyoming … After a five game drought, Smith got back into the pass thievery, picking off two passes for a total of 56 yards in returns, as he also delivered two tackles … He picked off a Kasten Sween pass and raced 25 yards into the end zone for a touchdown early in the first quarter … He brought out the Wyoming punting unit after stopping Brandon Stewart for a 2-yard gain on a third-&-8 reception in the third quarter and on the next possession, he intercepted a Sween fourth-&-7 pass that he returned 31 yards to the Utah 31 … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#81-Donate Morgan (5:11-187)-did not catch any passes vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from one other throw.

Colorado State … Smith had a busy day, preventing receivers from getting to five pass attempts while delivering five tackles, including one for a loss … He forced CSU to punt after jamming Rashaun Greer on a Billy Farris third-&-5 pass attempt early in the second quarter and then closed out the first half by preventing Greer from getting to a third-&-2 throw … Late in the third quarter, he tackled Kory Sperry for a 2-yard loss after a catch of a screen pass … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#84-Rashaun Greer (6:01-200)-caught one pass for 16 yards vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from five other throws.

Texas Christian … Smith picked off a pass, deflected two others, prevented two more throws from being completed and recorded four tackles (3 solos) … He intercepted a third-&-13 Andy Dalton pass that he returned 37 yards, setting up a Utah 37-yard field goal as time expired in the first half … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#88-Jimmy Young (6:01-203)-caught one pass for 22 yards vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from two other throws.

Brigham Young … The left cornerback was in on four tackles (2 solos), as he deflected one pass and intercepted another in a 48-24 triumph over one of the most explosive offenses in the West … Facing multiple receiver formations, Smith was later assigned to cover All-American Austin Collie, who had torched the Utes for 98 yards on nine receptions in the first half … Collie would catch just one more pass for 6 yards … He stepped in front of Collie to intercept a Max Hall pass at the BYU 44, returning the ball 38 yards to set up Utah QB Brian Johnson's 1-yard scoring lob to Colt Sampson for Utah's final score for the game …

Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#9-Austin Collie (6:02-206)-caught one pass for 62 yards vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from one other throw.

Alabama (Sugar Bowl) … In his final college game, Smith delivered five tackles (4 solos) with a pass deflection, as he also recorded a sack that led to a fumble … The left cornerback came off the edge to sack QB John Parker Wilson for a 10-yard loss, causing a fumble that the Utes recovered to set up a 28-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, the team's final points in a 31-17 triumph … Main Pass Coverage Assignment: WR#8-Julio Jones (6:04-213)-caught three passes for 53 yards vs. Smith, who rerouted the receiver away from four other throws.

Smith was positioned at left cornerback, starting nine contests before shifting to nickel back, earning another starting assignment … Recorded 32 tackles (20 solos) with a stop for a 6-yard loss … Deflected seven passes, tying a school single-game record with four break-ups in the New Mexico contest … Led the team and ranked third in the Mountain West Conference with four interceptions.

In his first start as a defensive back, Smith picked off a pair of passes, deflected another and posted four tackles (3 solos) vs. Oregon State … Intercepted a Travis Dixon pass in the Nevada-Las Vegas clash and posted four tackles (3 solos) vs. Louisville … Credited with three tackles, including one that stopped QB Kevin O'Connell for a 6-yard loss on an option play, as he also picked off one of the passer's attempts and deflected another vs. San Diego State … Gave QB Donovan Porterie fits, as he deflected four of his 41 pass attempts in a 28-10 defeat of New Mexico.

Smith appeared in thirteen games, as he was utilized as a slot receiver in the first eleven contests before shifting to defense, appearing as a nickel back in the final two games …

Recorded two assisted tackles, as he gained 63 yards on seven carries (9.0 avg) and had a 12-yard reception.

The first time he touched the ball as a collegian resulted in a 3-yard rush vs. Northern Arizona … Added a 9-yard run vs. New Mexico and had two rushes for 39 yards, including a 30-yarder vs. Colorado State … Gained eight yards on two tries on the ground vs. Air Force … Saw action on both sides of the ball vs. Brigham Young, recording an assisted tackle to go with a 12-yard catch and a 4-yard carry … Added an assisted hit vs. Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Red-shirted as a freshman.

No major injuries reported.

Campus: 4.47 in the 40-yard dash … 1.51 10-yard dash … 2.59 20-yard dash … 32-inch vertical jump … 9'5" broad jump.

Combine: 4.50 in the 40-yard dash … 1.53 10-yard dash … 2.59 20-yard dash … 4.15 20-yard shuttle … 6.92 three-cone drill … 34-inch vertical jump … 9'11" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 10 times.

Attended Blair (Pasadena, Cal.) High School, where he excelled as a running back, receiver and kickoff return specialist … Earned All-conference, All-State and All-American honors as a senior, the same year that he captured league Offensive Back of the Year accolades … That year, he led the team to its best record in ten seasons, as he rushed for over 1,500 yards, with 18 touchdowns, adding 547 receiving yards and over 400 yards in kickoff returns.

Mass Communications major … Son of Barbara Smith … Born 7/14/87 … Resides in Pasadena, California.