From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Georgia WR Arian Smith.
No. 11 Arian Smith/WR Georgia – 5116, 175 pounds (R-Senior)
Senior Bowl Participant
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Arian Smith | 5116/175 | 9 | 31 1/2 | 76 1/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Good athletic ability with world-class long speed
– Willing blocker with good technique, plays bigger than his size in this area
– Solid release off the line, able to work through jams or win with speed
– Good vision navigating through traffic for yards after the catch
The Bad
– Doesn’t always maximize his long speed
– Undersized frame
– Extensive injury history
– Awkward and clunky fakes in his routes
– Stop-start and change of direction are slower than you’d like, not very twitchy as an athlete
– Just adequate lateral agility
– Not adept at creating separation out of his breaks
– Inconsistent hands with a lot of drop issues (10 in 2024)
– Runs into defensive backs at the top of his routes, slowing him down
– Poor play strength, goes down with any level of contact
Bio
– Four-star prospect out of Lakeland HS in Bradley, FL; top-50 prospect nationally
– Played RB, QB, WR, DB throughout high school until focusing on receiver his senior year
– Champion track sprinter in high school, also competed in track in college; 100m, 200m, long jump
– Ran a 10.39-second 100m in the 2021 DI championships
– Appeared in 39 games with 10 starts
– Extensive injury history with a broken wrist in high school that he didn’t get repaired until he got to Georgia, a torn meniscus and broken fibula in 2021, a broken ankle in 2022, and a minor hip injury in 2024
– Teamed up with Caddix Cleats to help limit his chance of injury in 2024
– Had 68 receptions for 1,356 yards and 10 TDs
– Played a majority of his snaps out wide, but also 144 snaps in the slot in 2024
– Played gunner on punt-coverage units
– Only one year of production with 817 of his 1,356 total receiving yards in 2024
– Teamed up with four Georgia teammates to make a sizable charitable donation to school development in Athens, Ga.
Tape Breakdown
I kept waiting for the moment that Smith utilized the world-class long speed he obviously has from track and field to separate on a go route, but I never really saw it. On this rep, he turned and looked for the ball pretty early, which slowed him down. He was in position to make a play, but the ball slipped right through his hands.
Despite his speed, Smith doesn’t have as much wiggle as you’d like. There were a few times on tape where he had a defensive back one-on-one in the open field, and he couldn’t make the first guy miss. He relies more on his vision and finding creases to gain YAC and doesn’t excel in yards after contact or making people miss.
One way Smith could potentially get better at utilizing his speed is losing the clunky fakes that he uses. He will take a fake breakdown step like he is going to make a cut before trying to put on the burners on go routes. With world-class speed, those probably aren’t necessary, and they aren’t fooling anybody.
There are times where you see glimpses of Smith sprinting across the field or getting open on a seam route where it looks pretty good. Here are a couple of those.
Smith has a strange habit of running right into defensive backs on his routes. Instead of trying to evade contact, he will just run into them and slow himself down. It resulted in an interception against Texas as he got stuck at the top of his route and the defender worked through contact to pick off the pass.
Sometimes Smith’s long speed works against him. The first play of this clip, he is running a comeback route, but he races past the defender before his break. By the time he makes his break, the defender is right in position to cover him. He could use work refining his route running and varying his speed at opportune times to maximize separation.
Smith is a willing blocker despite his slight stature. He is good at using his hands and he is also aware enough to turn into a blocker downfield after running a route to help spring his teammates free.
Conclusion
The speed is obviously there, but Smith didn’t consistently display effective use of that speed enough to stand out. Otherwise, there isn’t a defining trait that is all that intriguing. His route to a 53-man roster will have to be through special teams, but a 175-pound gunner with an extensive injury history might not be sustainable. There may be a team willing to take a swing on the speed aspect alone, but he has a difficult path ahead of him to become an effective receiver on any NFL offense.
He reminds me of Chris Harper out of Cal several years ago. He ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots and played a handful of games for a couple different teams in his brief career.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.1 MED – Sixth/Seventh Round (End of Roster/ Practice Squad)
Games Watched: Texas – first game (2024), Alabama (2024), vs Ole Miss (2024)
