Cam Smith NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for South Carolina CB
Dec 30, 2022
COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 03: South Carolina Gamecocks defensive back Cam Smith (9) turns and runs with Georgia State Panthers wide receiver Robert Lewis (14) during a football game between the Georgia State Panthers and the South Carolina Gamecocks. (Photo by Charles Brock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 180
HAND: 9 1/8"
ARM: 31 5/8"
WINGSPAN: TBD
40-YARD DASH: 4.43
3-CONE: TBD
SHUTTLE: TBD
VERTICAL: 38"
BROAD: 11'2"
POSITIVES
— Has very good length. Bends well while staying low in stance.
— Shows a smooth and controlled pedal with fluid hips to flip and run.
— Has very good reaction out of breaks with great closing speed when the ball is in the air.
— Gets his head around quickly to locate the ball when in phase and has very good ball skills and timing to disrupt the catch.
— Physical player who does a good job of setting the edge and is a willing tackler who gets the ball-carrier down.
NEGATIVES
— Doesn't always trust his eyes when breaking. Footwork can get wide at times, causing him to jump into break.
— Inconsistent with sinking of hips out of breaks. Can come off to be lazy with technique at times, allowing separation at the top of routes.
— Can be too handsy downfield at times. Often uses a slingshot to get back in phase, which is called multiple times.
2022 STATISTICS
— 11 GM, 27 TOT, 1 TFL, 6 PBU, 1 INT
NOTES
— DOB: Dec. 21, 2000
— 2021 All-SEC second team
— 19 games started
OVERALL
Cam Smith is a long-armed athlete with a lean frame, with the ability to add more weight. He's a lockdown defender who can play in a zone scheme but excels in man coverage. Within the schemes, Smith has shown himself to play from both press and off alignment. Although he has played a majority of his snaps from the open shuffle technique, he has demonstrated a smooth pedal, quick transitions and fluid hips to open and run.
A long strider, Smith has the speed to run with most receivers, although he can fall a step or two behind some of the more electric players he has matched up against. He has good short-area quickness but can give up some ground out of his breaks due to slower transitions. When out of his breaks, Smith has displayed a very good burst and closing speed with the ball in the air. He has instincts to locate and attack the ball while also showing great timing to break up passes. Though he has aligned in the slot at times, he is best when out wide.
When playing the run, Smith has good aggressiveness and physicality, especially when taking on blocks. He uses his hands to set the edge while also disengaging from blocks. Though he is a willing tackler who comes up to support the run, he tends to ankle-bite and dive at the legs of ball-carriers without wrapping up. Due to this style, he has missed a few tackles this season.
Ultimately, Smith is an exceptional athlete who is regarded as one of the best man cover guys in this draft. His inconsistency in tackling will be one of the biggest knocks against him. With that said, he will be one of the earlier cornerbacks selected, with a chance to compete early for a starting job.
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South Carolina vs. South Carolina State Rescheduled Because of Hurricane Ian Concern
Sep 27, 2022
FAYETTEVILLE, AR - SEPTEMBER 10: A South Carolina Gamecocks helmet during the college football game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Arkansas Razorbacks on September 10, 2022, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Andy Altenburger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
South Carolina football will face South Carolina State two days earlier in an attempt to avoid Hurricane Ian, according to Alex Scarborough of ESPN.
The game was initially scheduled for Saturday at noon E.T., but it will now be played on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
"Due to the potential impact of the hurricane on Columbia and the surrounding area, it is in the best interest of safety to play the game on Thursday rather than Saturday afternoon," South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said in a statement.
Hurricane Ian is projected to make landfall in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Wednesday night into Thursday morning, with 2.5 million people in Florida already under evacuation orders, per ABC News.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved from their practice facility on Tuesday and will spend time at the Miami Dolphins' facility in South Florida. The Buccaneers are set to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, but the game could be moved if necessary.
The storm could travel up the coast after making landfall, with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division urging residents to monitor the situation.
The University of South Carolina is looking to avoid any complications later in the week by adjusting its schedule against the in-state opponent.
"Based on the current forecast and expected weather conditions as well as information from our campus, state and local law enforcement agencies, at this time, the University is confident in our ability to host the game on Thursday at Williams-Brice Stadium."
South Carolina is 2-2 so far this season, losing both of its SEC games but easily beating Georgia State and Charlotte in the nonconference slate. South Carolina State in 1-2 to begin the year, with the Bulldogs preparing to play their fourth straight road game to open 2022.
South Carolina's Shane Beamer on Mayo Bath After Bowl Win: 'It Was Awful'
Dec 30, 2021
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Shane Beamer of the South Carolina Gamecocks is covered in Duke's Mayonnaise following their 38-21 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Duke's Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Getting doused in mayonnaise is a good incentive to avoid ever again slipping into the Duke's Mayo Bowl.
As a reward for his team's 38-21 victory over North Carolina on Thursday, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer received the ceremonial mayo bath:
Leading up to the Duke's Mayo Bowl, the 44-year-old conceded he's "not a big mayonnaise guy" but that he'd be a good sport because being subjected to the spectacle meant the Gamecocks came out victorious.
College football players are increasingly opting out of bowls in order to focus on the NFL draft. Next year, whichever coaches are unlucky enough to get the Duke's Mayo Bowl invite might choose to spend the holidays at home as well.
Video: South Carolina HC Shane Beamer Given Mayonnaise Bath After Mayo Bowl Win
Dec 30, 2021
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Shane Beamer of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts during the second half of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
South Carolina's 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Thursday came with an added bonus for head coach Shane Beamer.
The postgame celebration was capped off with Beamer being doused with 4.5 gallons of Duke's Mayonnaise.
One silver lining for Beamer is it wasn't 100 percent pure mayonnaise, as Laura Brownlow of WRAL Sports Fan noted it was "slightly watered down."
This entire scenario started on Dec. 5 when Danny Morrison, executive director of the Duke's Mayo Bowl, announced a donation of $10,000 to the charity of the winning coach's choice if they would take a bath in mayonnaise.
Per The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach, both coaches agreed to the deal if their team won.
It's unclear if the Gamecocks were motivated by the thought of seeing their head coach get covered in mayonnaise, but they certainly played like that was the case. They stormed out to an 18-0 lead in the first quarter.
South Carolina put up 543 yards of total offense, including 301 rushing yards on 51 carries, in the win. Dakereon Joyner completed all nine of his pass attempts for 160 yards and one touchdown.
Despite taking a good shot to the head when the pourers nearly lost control of the mayo bucket, Beamer should be all smiles after this moment. He led the Gamecocks to their first bowl win since 2017 in his first season as head coach.
South Carolina finished with a winning record (7-6) for the first time since 2018.
South Carolina Pulls Away from Sam Howell, UNC to Win 2021 Mayo Bowl
Dec 30, 2021
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 30: Dakereon Joyner #5 of the South Carolina Gamecocks reacts following a touchdown pass to Jaheim Bell #0 of the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first quarter of the Duke's Mayo Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2021 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
South Carolina capped off its 2021 season with a 38-21 victory over North Carolina in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Thursday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
To the delight of fans everywhere, the result earned head coach Shane Beamer a mayonnaise bath.
Beamer led a five-win improvement for the Gamecocks in his first year on the sideline.
South Carolina jumped out to an 18-0 lead in the first quarter. A 40-yard field goal by Grayson Atkins brought UNC to within one score, 18-10, with 5:44 left in the first half. That was as close as the Tar Heels came to bridging the gap.
The Gamecocks finished with 543 total yards, including 301 rushing yards.
Notable Performers
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina: 12-of-20, 205 yards, one touchdown; 13 carries, three yards
Antoine Green, WR, North Carolina: four receptions, 73 yards
Kevin Harris, RB, South Carolina: 31 carries, 182 yards, one touchdown
Dakereon Joyner, WR, South Carolina: 9-of-9, 160 yards, one touchdown; 10 carries, 64 yards
South Carolina Grinds Down UNC Defense
A bowl game is a great time for a coach to empty the playbook, and that's exactly what Beamer did on South Carolina's first drive. Wide receiver Dakereon Joyner took the snap out of the shotgun and hit Jaheim Bell for a 69-yard touchdown pass.
Beamer quickly discovered he wouldn't need to rely much on trickery in order to move the ball against North Carolina. Especially in the second half as they were protecting a double-digit lead, the Gamecocks were content to pound the ball on the ground.
South Carolina only scored 30 or more against one FBS opponent this season (Florida). Just hit 35 and 500 yards of offense with a little less than 8 minutes remaining. Tough look for the Heels defense.
Kevin Harris was the bell cow out of the backfield and enjoyed one of his best games of the season.
Kevin Harris is running with some burst today. It's a shame we haven't seen him at 100 percent for much of this season. He was a monster last year. Looking good so far. 60 yards on 10 attempts.
South Carolina's ability to control the tempo was evident with how long it had the ball in the second half. Here's the time of possession for the Gamecocks' four drives: 5:07, 6:11 6:20 and 5:02.
Early in the year, Beamer was blunt about the gap between his squad and an elite program such as Georgia. He explained how the Bulldogs "got like 100 5-star football players on their defense."
The 44-year-old knows that great coaching can only go so far toward closing a talent gap.
He has assembled the No. 20 class in 247Sports' composite team rankings, which would be aa significant improvement from finishing 79th in 2021. Beamer also convinced former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler to call Columbia, South Carolina, home.
The future is looking bright.
Howell Doesn't Help Draft Stock
Sam Howell has yet to declare for the 2022 NFL draft, but nobody will be surprised if the North Carolina quarterback declines to return for next season.
By suiting up for the Tar Heels on Thursday, Howell may have been looking to bolster his draft stock with one last big performance. According to ESPN's Jordan Reid, representatives for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers were on hand for the game.
For me, Howell lacks the elite-level traits that give a QB a first-round grade, but that doesn't mean a team won't draft him Rd1. Similar to Desmond Ridder—doesn't have a Rd1 from me, but could get there with a good pre-draft process.
Unfortunately for Howell, the Duke's Mayo Bowl probably wasn't the kind of showcase he envisioned.
North Carolina allowed an average of 3.8 sacks per game this year, 127th in FBS. The downtime between a 34-30 loss to North Carolina State and the Duke's Mayo Bowl didn't help head coach Mack Brown magically solve his offensive line issues.
As a result, Howell was under constant pressure.
I give Sam Howell a helluva lot of credit for playing today.
His OL was trash all year (gave up Power 5-high 45 sacks) and he’s been getting mashed throughout.
North Carolina was ranked 10th in the Associated Press' preseason Top 25. Six games into the year, even Brown was conceding his squad was overrated based on where it entered 2021.
A comprehensive loss to South Carolina was the culmination of a campaign that fell well short of expectations in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Spencer Rattler to Transfer to South Carolina After 3 Seasons at Oklahoma
Dec 14, 2021
LAWRENCE, KS - OCTOBER 23: Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) throws a pass before a Big 12 football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas Jayhawks on Oct 23, 2021 at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, KS. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Former University of Oklahoma
quarterback Spencer Rattler announced Monday that he's transferring to South Carolina.
Former Oklahoma tight end Austin Stogner also announced that he's going to the Gamecocks.
Rattler entered the NCAA transfer
portal in late November to explore his options after the Sooners benched him in favor of freshman Caleb Williams.
The 21-year-old entered
the 2021 season with Heisman Trophy-level expectations after an
impressive redshirt freshman campaign in 2020. He was voted first-team All-Big 12 after completing 67.5 percent of his throws for 3,031
yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions across 11 games. He
also tallied six rushing scores.
Aside from a five-touchdown performance
against an overmatched Western Carolina squad early in the season,
Rattler wasn't able to match that level of play as a sophomore. He
was replaced by Williams during a 55-48 win over Texas and
never reclaimed the starting role.
The Phoenix native still completed an impressive 74.9
percent of his attempts in nine appearances, but his
touchdown-to-interception ratio dropped off considerably (11-5).
Mike Giovando, Rattler's longtime
quarterback coach, told Richard Obert of the Arizona Republic
in November that the signal-caller wanted to take his time assessing the situation before
deciding his next step:
Whether or not we declare for the
draft or find another school remains to be seen. We just want to keep getting feedback from where he may fall in
the draft. And his number one goal is to be a first-round pick one
day, so he will do what's best in the end so he can achieve that
goal.
Rattler ultimately decided to play at
least one more college season at South Carolina. It's probably the right
decision since his potential draft position could have varied greatly
depending on how he performed during the predraft process. He wasn't
a first-round lock based on the 2021 season.
He also has an opportunity to impress against SEC defenses, which could make an even bigger impression on NFL scouts.
Florida's Dan Mullen Says 20-30 Players Had Flu Ahead of Blowout South Carolina Loss
Nov 7, 2021
Florida head coach Dan Mullen watches from the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Florida coach Dan Mullen revealed the team had 20-30 players dealing with flu-like symptoms ahead of Saturday's 40-17 loss to South Carolina:
“We had several guys not even come out onto the field on the bus. I don't want to make excuses for those guys, but I want to give our guys credit for battling, for facing adversity. We had a bunch of guys dealing with sickness. We had to fly some guys up separately from the team, keep everybody separated. Those guys, they still went out. Even though the large number of guys that missed practice, we had quite a few that our training staff tried to do a good job today of IV-ing guys and try to get them ready to be able to go out and perform. And so, that's what I love. I think our guys compete and they're going to work and they're going to fight and they're going to give everything they have.
"We as coaches have got to do a better job to put them in the positions for the effort they give, to put them in position to be successful."
The Gators (4-5) were dominated almost from the opening whistle to lose their third straight game, with pressure mounting on Mullen to turn things around. Florida's five losses are already a high in Mullen's four-year tenure at the school.
The loss to South Carolina was perhaps the worst of Mullen's run in Gainesville. The Gamecocks entered the weekend with only one SEC win, a one-point squeaker over lowly Vanderbilt. However, Shane Beamer's team ran all over Florida, compiling 284 yards on the ground as Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White each went over the 100-yard mark.
South Carolina scored on its first five possessions of the game and never trailed again after taking a 10-7 lead in the first quarter.
The depleted Gators are 2-5 in the SEC but should get back on a winning track on Saturday at home against Samford, an FCS program.
