Chicago Bears: Profile and Interview of Draft Target WR Vyncint Smith
Weaknesses
The biggest knock against Smith has been the level of competition he faced in college. Unfortunately, he had no control over that; what he could control was his performance.
What you hope to see when evaluating a player like Smith is that he didn’t just beat his competition, but that he dominated it. And by all accounts, he absolutely dominated this level of competition.
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Last season, Smith finished with 49 receptions for 849 yards and three touchdowns. While at first glance those numbers are flashy, you have to keep in mind he did this in a “run-first” offense.
His college coach was Mike Furrey, whom the Bears hired this offseason to be their wide receivers coach (more on that later). Despite being a former NFL wide receiver himself, Furrey’s offense routinely sought to establish the running game.
If Smith was in a pass-focused offense, those numbers would be much higher. However, his route running, ability to gain separation and athleticism were all superior to his competition.
Teams will be evaluating whether Smith can achieve similar results against tougher competition. And those teams will get their chance, as the Dallas Cowboys are at least one team known to have scheduled a private workout with Smith.
In addition, at least thirteen NFL teams have contacted Smith, though it is unclear at this time whether any other workouts are scheduled.
#Cowboys will work out Limestone College (S.C.) WR Vyncint Smith next Wednesday. Smith ran a 4.36 40 at South Carolina pro day.
— Drew Davison (@drewdavison) March 22, 2018
Leading up to the 2018 NFL Draft, NFL teams will be doing their best to gather as much information as they can on Vyncint Smith. Teams will want to find out what kind of person and player he is.
I wanted to know the same, so I sat down with Vyncint to learn more about this potential diamond in the rough as he prepares for the upcoming draft.