Grading Bears fift-round pick: Terell Smith originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears added another cornerback to the mix when their second fifth-round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. GM Ryan Poles drafted Terell Smith out of Minnesota with the No. 165 overall pick.
Smith continues a trend of the Bears adding players with impressive athletic traits. He’s 6’0”, 204 lbs. with 4.41 speed and arms that measure nearly 33”. In other words, he’s big, long, strong and speedy. Typically when one sees traits like that, one thinks of a prototypical press-man corner. But Bears scouts believe Smith has the smarts and the instincts to succeed in off-ball coverage, which the Bears like to deploy in their secondary
Smith was a five-year player in college and started for the Golden Gophers as a freshman in 2018. But he was relegated to a backup role in 2019 and 2020 before regaining a starting spot in 2021. He retained that starter role in 2022. The Bears appreciate Smith’s ability to battle through that adversity and believe he’s still an ascending player.
From a production standpoint, Smith’s 2022 season was his best. He notched 38 tackles, including 4.5 TFL and two sacks. In the ball skills department, Smith had two interceptions, seven PBUs and one forced fumble.
Smith primarily played outside corner at Minnesota and presumably that’s where he’ll continue to work. The Bears also selected Tyrique Stevensonー another outside cornerー in the second round of this year’s draft, so the competition should be fierce this summer in the Bears secondary. Interestingly, Bears co-director of player personnel Trey Koziol didn’t shut the door on Smith playing safety one day, if the cornerbacks room gets too crowded.
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“That’s the cool thing about some of these guys is that if the coaches have a vision and they see something down the line, somebody with his physical skillset, I think that there’s a ton that you could do with him,” Koziol said.
Smith is an intriguing prospect who has both substantial playing experience, with room to continue growing. He’s also got the physical attributes that no one can teach. The only knock on the pick is that the Bears added yet another cornerback without addressing their defensive end unit.
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