Where do you see Devin Smith going? Should we target him?
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http://www.ohio.com/sports/browns/20...-duel-1.568754
INDIANAPOLIS: Akron native Devin Smith didn’t achieve his goal in the 40-yard dash Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine, but the standout wide receiver from Ohio State didn’t take a step back, either.
Smith had been posting times in the low 4.4-second range as he prepared for this weekend. Although he hoped to sprint his way to a time of 4.3, his official 4.42 still ranked seventh among all receivers at this year’s combine.
“Speed is obviously a key point in releasing from the line,” said Smith, who attended Ellet High School and graduated from Massillon High School. “You don’t want to spend too much time at the line, especially if you have an aggressive corner who’s trying to jam you. It’s all about using your hands to get the defender off of you and you use your speed as well. It’s very important to be physical as well as being fast.”
Smith has demonstrated a knack for blowing by defenders. As a senior, he averaged 28.2 yards per reception, and 54.5 percent of his catches resulted in gains of 25 yards or more.
“I’ll tell you what he does better than any wide receiver I’ve seen in several years is he tracks the deep ball,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “And if you look at his average per catch at 28, [he’s a] big-play guy. Defensive backs were literally lining up 7 yards off and turning and running they were so worried about getting beat deep, and he still beat them deep. He tracks the deep ball. There’s value to that.”
The Browns are among the receiver-needy teams that could use a big-play threat like Smith. Owner Jimmy Haslam watched Saturday’s on-field workouts alongside coach Mike Pettine in a suite at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Browns have two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 19 overall) and the 11th choice in the second round (43rd overall).
Mayock predicts Smith will become a second-round pick. Smith, though, is hoping for better.
“I’m hoping I go first round,” said Smith, who caught 33 passes for 931 yards and 12 touchdowns last season as the Buckeyes made their national title run. “Just being in this position, to be here at the combine and getting your name picked, it’s all a blessing to me. Wherever I get picked, whatever round, I’ll make the best of it.”
Smith also placed seventh among receivers in the vertical jump (39 inches). He bench pressed 225 pounds 10 times and broad jumped 10 feet, 2 inches,
Quarterbacks duel
Florida State’s Jameis Winston and Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, the top-two rated quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, impressed while throwing during the on-field workouts.
Winston is widely projected to become the No. 1 overall pick, and Mariota is considered a surefire top-10 selection.
“I thought the two top guys, Winston and Mariota, were outstanding,” Mayock said. “The thing that I like about Jameis Winston is I think he throws an extremely catchable ball. He’s got all the arm strength you want, but he makes it easy for the receiver based on the route. I think just naturally and innately he gets it.
“What I liked about Mariota was just the footwork. You can see how athletic he is. You can see that translate to his dropbacks now. A sense of urgency with his feet I think you can see, and I know he’ll be able to adapt to being able to get under center. It’s the pocket awareness part that you can’t tell. Physically, he’ll be able to do all the things they ask him.”
There’s a chance, even though it’s probably a slim one, the Browns could trade up for Mariota to satisfy their need for a starting quarterback. But if the franchise doesn’t make the blockbuster move, it might target someone from the second tier of passers.
NFLDraftScout.com projects UCLA’s Brett Hundley as a second-round pick and Baylor’s Bryce Petty as a third- or fourth-round choice. On Saturday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted the Browns would have considered Hundley in the top-10 picks had he entered last year’s draft.
Mayock, though, doesn’t believe any incoming quarterbacks other than Winston and Mariota will be ready to start in the NFL next season.
“I think Petty is a year or two away,” Mayock said. “Hundley’s a couple of years away.”
Among the 13 quarterbacks who participated in the 40, Mariota finished first (4.52 seconds) and Winston placed 10th (4.97 seconds).
Ohio State conundrum
Three of the four Buckeyes at the combine were asked who will be Ohio State’s starting quarterback in 2015. Cornerback Doran Grant, an Akron native and St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate, and Smith picked Cardale Jones. Tight end Jeff Heuerman declined to answer.
“In the last three games, even though those were his first three starts, to win games like that in the fashion he did was unheard of, really,” Grant said of Jones. “You don’t really see it at all. You know he can take on more. Obviously, he couldn’t do much more than what he did. He’ll be ready.”
Smith said, “I would say Cardale just because his momentum is going uphill right now. But I know Coach [Urban] Meyer is going to do a great job of getting the right person in that position.”
Heuerman said he will probably learn Meyer’s choice on Twitter, but refused to be drawn into the fray by an OSU beat writer.
“I can’t answer that. You know that. When I was younger, I would’ve answered that,” Heuerman said.
Where’s Urban’s tattoo?
After Ohio State defeated Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Meyer told the Buckeyes he would get a tattoo, perhaps a Block O, if they beat Oregon to win the national title. Bennett and Grant are still waiting for Meyer to keep that promise.
“When I get back there, I’m going to make sure he does,” defensive lineman Michael Bennett said.
“He’s been pretty busy since the championship game,” Grant said. “We’ll see if he gets it by the time the ring ceremony comes around.”
Don’t be a weirdo
Bennett (@mike63bennett) said he hasn’t tweeted in a week or two because sometimes his mind “will take me to weird places” and he doesn’t want to fire off something he’ll have to explain to a prospective employer.
“I’ll make a random observation and my mind will go off on a tangent and then I’ll throw out a tweet and I’ll be like, ‘That was probably pretty weird to people who don’t know me,’ so I don’t do that any more,” Bennett said. “Some of my followers don’t like that, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
“You want to give [the NFL] fewer things to have against you.”
Bennett said he hasn’t resorted to deleting any tweets.
“I haven’t put out any risky tweets. My mom follows me, so I’m not going to do anything stupid. I still don’t want to be perceived as a weirdo,” he said with a smile.
Turning heads
On Monday, Mayock said he believed West Virginia wide receiver Kevin Smith, who some analysts predict will land with the Browns at No. 12, would propel himself into the top-10 draft picks this year if he were able to run the 40 in 4.5 seconds or less.
Well, Smith did it in 4.35 seconds Saturday, tying for third at his position.
“I just talked to some coaches walking off the field, and I was like, ‘What did you think of White?’ ” Mayock said. “Every single one was like, ‘Wow, it was easy. Great hands. Exploded in every drill.’ ”