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Draft Focus
Draft Focus: ND Safety Could Play Quickly
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Leading into the upcoming NFL Draft, held April 26-28, DallasCowboys.com will take a closer look at the prospects, including some that could be potential fits with the Cowboys. Today's featured player is Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.)
Name: Harrison Smith
Position: Safety
College: Notre Dame
Height/Weight: 6-2/213
Age: 23 (born Feb. 2, 1989)
Strengths: Harrison has the speed and athleticism necessary to play free safety, and the size to hold up in the box as a run defender, along with great instincts that come from nearly four full seasons as a starter against very good competition. He's regarded as a very good tackler, taking the correct angle most of the time, and can stay with both tight ends and running backs in zone coverage. He is smart, a hard-worker and was a senior captain for the Irish in 2011. Many expect he'll have a fairly easy transition into the NFL, with a chance at starting as a rookie.
Weaknesses: Despite his athletic versatility, some see Smith as not having a true position in the secondary. After an outstanding junior season in which he posted seven interceptions, he had zero picks this past year. His man coverage skills are somewhat lacking. Thought he is quite the physical specimen, he needs to play with better footwork and technique in coverage against more elite athletes.
Sound Bites: On whether he can take on a leadership role in an NFL secondary early in his career: "I'm not a guy who tries to bark out orders and stuff like that. That's not how I'd play, especially as a rookie. But I'm confident in my ability to learn a playbook, to understand offenses, and then as a safety your job is to get the defense aligned, so that's just part of the role."
Where He's Headed: On the extremely optimistic side, Harrison could go late in the first round to a team like Baltimore, with a big need at safety. He could also slip into the early parts of the third round, but it's most likely he'll come off the board by the middle of Round 2.
How He Helps the Cowboys: The Cowboys signed veteran free agent Brodney Pool to just a one-year deal, and apart from he and Gerald Sensabaugh, the only other safeties on the roster are former undrafted players, namely Barry Church and Danny McCray. Smith would create good depth at either safety position in the short term, and ought to be ready to start by his second season. Like Sensabaugh, he can play either free or strong safety, so the Cowboys would be able to disguise their coverage quite a bit, playing the two interchangeably.
Draft Focus: ND Safety Could Play Quickly
Josh Ellis
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
(Editor's Note: Leading into the upcoming NFL Draft, held April 26-28, DallasCowboys.com will take a closer look at the prospects, including some that could be potential fits with the Cowboys. Today's featured player is Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.)
Name: Harrison Smith
Position: Safety
College: Notre Dame
Height/Weight: 6-2/213
Age: 23 (born Feb. 2, 1989)
Strengths: Harrison has the speed and athleticism necessary to play free safety, and the size to hold up in the box as a run defender, along with great instincts that come from nearly four full seasons as a starter against very good competition. He's regarded as a very good tackler, taking the correct angle most of the time, and can stay with both tight ends and running backs in zone coverage. He is smart, a hard-worker and was a senior captain for the Irish in 2011. Many expect he'll have a fairly easy transition into the NFL, with a chance at starting as a rookie.
Weaknesses: Despite his athletic versatility, some see Smith as not having a true position in the secondary. After an outstanding junior season in which he posted seven interceptions, he had zero picks this past year. His man coverage skills are somewhat lacking. Thought he is quite the physical specimen, he needs to play with better footwork and technique in coverage against more elite athletes.
Sound Bites: On whether he can take on a leadership role in an NFL secondary early in his career: "I'm not a guy who tries to bark out orders and stuff like that. That's not how I'd play, especially as a rookie. But I'm confident in my ability to learn a playbook, to understand offenses, and then as a safety your job is to get the defense aligned, so that's just part of the role."
Where He's Headed: On the extremely optimistic side, Harrison could go late in the first round to a team like Baltimore, with a big need at safety. He could also slip into the early parts of the third round, but it's most likely he'll come off the board by the middle of Round 2.
How He Helps the Cowboys: The Cowboys signed veteran free agent Brodney Pool to just a one-year deal, and apart from he and Gerald Sensabaugh, the only other safeties on the roster are former undrafted players, namely Barry Church and Danny McCray. Smith would create good depth at either safety position in the short term, and ought to be ready to start by his second season. Like Sensabaugh, he can play either free or strong safety, so the Cowboys would be able to disguise their coverage quite a bit, playing the two interchangeably.