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StickyBun · 04-27-2019, 06:00 PM

Fits what Rick likes to do (big high school talents at big name universities that don't quite live up to billing) and Smith is right in line with that. This kid is highly instinctual and will flourish when he gets an NFL body. Not super athletic, but the kind of guy that's hard to keep off the field. This pick really intrigued me.

04-27-2019, 08:48 PM

I think it was a smart move because the USC coaching staff is really bad right now; could really improve with NFL coaching.

04-27-2019, 10:55 PM

He seemed to have moderate strengths lot of physical weaknesses. I wondered why they picked him.

Strengths

Extremely reliable and consistent as four-year starter
Lost weight in offseason, which helped increase his play quickness
Play speed is faster than his timed speed
Instinctive with smart eyes for early play recognition
Isn't easily fooled by counter steps and false keys
Efficient in space and only moves when he means to
Can defeat blocks with both shoulder slips and strength
Has upper-body strength to punch and press linemen off of him
Unfazed by jukes and fakes and is reliable tackler in space
Possesses awareness and football IQ to stay on the field on third downs
Field vision is clear and well-balanced
Responsive to quarterback's eyes and harasses the passing lane from zone
Finished career with 14 passes defensed

Weaknesses

Build is unimpressive and lacking cut
Plays with some tightness in his lowers
Not an explosive mover and unlikely to test well at combine
Lacks trigger juice to light up stat sheet with tackles for loss
Below-average burst from directional change
Races ahead of cut-off blocks, exposing him to cutback shots
Pedestrian top-end speed with range limitations as tackler
Needs to be more decisive or risk falling behind the play in NFL
Will struggle to prevent separation against pass-catching backs

OverviewInside linebacker whose four-year run can best be described as smart and steady. Smith is lacking the physical traits and athletic ability to excite general managers and his tape is hardly splashy. However, he has a keen sense of play development and uses smart angles and proper technique to do his job effectively. He could hear his name called in the middle rounds, but it won't take long for a coaching staff to look beyond his limitations and see a future starter.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/cameron-sm...10d9ce4520

04-27-2019, 11:53 PM

The guy who does that draft grades at Walter Football didn't like the pick because we need to find another linebacker who can cover and work in space. This guy is Ben Gedeon 2.0 which is fine if you want to dump Gedeon. We should have traded up and grabbed Cashman before the Jets did. He was graded as high as a 4th round pick and would have been a great value. I thought Spielman once again tried to outsmart everyone else by trading back and giving up draft position too easily instead packaging those extra pics and getting some quality potential starters in the 5th.

04-28-2019, 12:23 AM

I would rather have seen them not trade down, keep that 5th round pick and taken Daylon Mack. Or how about trading all those shit 6th and 7th round picks to move back up into the 4th and taken Dru Tranquil if they really wanted a LB. Spielman just drove me crazy this year after the Smith pick.

04-28-2019, 12:30 AM

Quote: @TBro said:
I thought Spielman once again tried to outsmart everyone else by trading back and giving up draft position too easily instead packaging those extra pics and getting some quality potential starters in the 5th.

This. It's about the team getting better and winning, not about the GM being a star.

04-28-2019, 11:45 AM

Spileman said that they had tried to bundle picks and move to get another player but it failed. I also believe I read where the Vikings were interested in Cashman but the Jets grabbed him. Wonder if this is who they swung and missed on and they ended up with Smith as the next best so they could check their linebacker box.
I know Spielman was talking him up and saying he could play any of the linebacker positions which sounded like a sell job.
All just a guess.

04-28-2019, 11:54 AM

Quote: @supafreak84 said:
I would rather have seen them not trade down, keep that 5th round pick and taken Daylon Mack. Or how about trading all those shit 6th and 7th round picks to move back up into the 4th and taken Dru Tranquil if they really wanted a LB. Spielman just drove me crazy this year after the Smith pick.

Exactly. The best players are at the beginning of the draft not the 7th. Spielman is a garbage collector. I would rather have traded all those 7th round picks for a 4th or 5th and call it a day.

04-28-2019, 12:26 PM

Quote: @purpleloki said:

@supafreak84 said:
I would rather have seen them not trade down, keep that 5th round pick and taken Daylon Mack. Or how about trading all those shit 6th and 7th round picks to move back up into the 4th and taken Dru Tranquil if they really wanted a LB. Spielman just drove me crazy this year after the Smith pick.
Exactly. The best players are at the beginning of the draft not the 7th. Spielman is a garbage collector. I would rather have traded all those 7th round picks for a 4th or 5th and call it a day.

I don't mind the strategy of strategically trading down, but he was out of control with it. We desperately needed to come away from this draft with a coverage linebacker and ended up selecting one of the slowest Inside LB's in the draft when we already have that in Gedeon and Downs. That made zero sense. We should have been trading up in the third to get someone like Okereke who would have been an instant upgrade over what we have. I like Mattison, but he passed on a lot of good players by moving down 3 times in the third when he would have been available in the 4th and more likely the 5th.

04-28-2019, 02:28 PM

The problem this year is CAP space. Even after ALL the selections we took, we still had something like 11 open slots on the roster to fill. If we would have traded up, it pushes our CAP availability number down and leaves us with even more UDFA's to bring in. Which is more signing bonuses. We are so top heavy in salaries now, we almost have to play it like this to fill out our roster. Would people be happier bringing in more UDFAs? I agree, I fully believe they got sniped on Cashman, but that doesn't mean our selection at LB is a waste. He's a good player, just a player with a different skillset. He'll need a year, but he could be a replacement for Gedeon when he's up for an extension. Future cost control, which we'll have to have.