Wide Receiver

Maryland

6-1 204

Draft board overall prospect rank: #90

Draft board overall wide receiver rank: #6

Overall rating: 69 (late 3rd)

40 time: 4.37

3/29/11: Torrey Smith could legitimately go in the first round. He’s got great speed and is a dynamic return man and teams are always looking for the next DeSean Jackson or Mike Wallace, or even the next Jacoby Ford or Emmanuel Sanders, young speedsters who shined in their rookie years in 2010. Torrey Smith should not be lumped in with that group. I think he’s one of the more overrated players in this draft class.

People like to cite his strong production, but let’s take a closer look. He caught 67 passes for 1055 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, but only had 4 games of 70+ yards. 2 of those games were against joke opponents, Florida International, and NC State. The other two were against Virginia and West Virginia, but remember he only caught 3 balls against West Virginia. He had 149 yards, but he’s really boom or bust in terms of production.

2 catches for 10 yards against East Carolina in the bowl game, 1 catch for 6 yards against Navy, 3 catches for 41 yards against Morgan State, 2 catches for 50 yards against Duke, these are bad performances against bad teams. First rounders don’t do that. In 2009, he surpassed 70 yards 5 times, James Madison, Middle Tennessee, Rutgers, and Florida State (71 yards). 1 catch for 28 yards against Carolina, 2 catches for 13 yards against Duke. First rounders don’t do that.

He catches with his body and, no surprise, he has tiny hands. Doesn’t matter how fast downfield you run if you can’t catch the ball. Just ask another former Maryland Terrapin, Darrius Heyward Bey. A lot of people will say, well he was drafted by the Raiders, of course he was going to bust. Yes, the Raiders reached for him at 7, but if they didn’t, he could have easily gone in the bottom of the 1^st round, just like Smith is being projected.

Smith is a similar prospect, a bigger receiver, fast, but inconsistent production, lack of dominance against bad teams, and bad, and in Smith’s case small, hands are huge drawbacks. Smith is a better kick return and a better runner out of the backfield, but I would be very surprised if he became anything at receiver. He’s not a great route runner. He’s skinny and doesn’t run block or go over the middle well.

NFL Comparison: Troy Williamson