Harrison Smith, Safety, Notre Dame I was originally a huge fan of grabbing this guy when he was projected to go in middle rounds but his stock is absolutely SOARING right now. Hes currently projected to go in the second right now, with speculation that he could even go towards the end of the 1st (New England) Im curious how people would feel about grabbing this guy with our 2nd pick ? It seems a little early to me but im sure there are others who follow Notre Dame far more than I do Hes good covering TE's in man coverage, but one thing that worries me is he was converted from safety to linebacker and vice versa twice. Id presume this means he can be a solid tackler, but I desperately dont want another Eric Smith especially one we got in the 2nd.
I thought he'd be a 4th round pick(Possibly 3rd) based on his overall play but I can see him moving on up come the draft boards due to the need of a safety. Never envisioned he'd be a 1st rounder though. Imagine a 6'2 Jim Leonhard(Minus punt returning)....that's what Smith is. Very smart player, isn't afraid of contact, known to make big time plays late in games. Tough gamer, zero diva in him(Dude was a captain of that Irish D for like 2 years), fairly athletic, good lateral speed(Not wowing though), always(I mean always) wraps up his tackles and he's fearless on the field. He has the tendencies to get caught up on a silly penalty every now and then(He had an UGLY game vs USF...had 2 or 3 straight facemask penalties) and he likewise isn't gonna be a playmaker enough to where he changes the game ala Polamlu or Reed but you can't be swinging for a home run in the 2nd or 3rd round. Smith was a LB in 08 I believe too.... He won't be an annual pro bowler but the guy is more than a steady starter and a guy who you will be saying "Wow Smith does all the little things and is really heads up". He is what Leonhard is(Or maybe was?) to the Jets. He will have a slipup every now and then but for the most part, he's a steady producer and you always know the guy comes to play when on the field. He is beloved by his teammates and was an Irish fan favorite because he is so consistent and always comes up big for the defense, especially when our defense needed it the most(Irish D has stunk it up but in no part to either Te'o or Smith). Smith was the 2nd best defender on ND the past 2 years only behind the manchild that is future 2013 NY Jet MLB Manti Te'o. [youtube]D0t11dVsS7g[/youtube] Smith's 2nd to last game.. [youtube]hMcCqNg6bWQ[/youtube] His gameplay vs Miami in the bowl game last year...though this is Jacory Harris throwing the ball.
He might have Smith's speed but as far as discipline goes, Harrison is far more patient and has much better football IQ than Eric Smith which makes a world's difference. Eric Smith's biting on that Tebow TD showed it all. That doesn't happen to Harrison Smith under the same circumstances.
Yeah just say no to someone like Justin Tuck. :rofl2: If you noticed, its always been the Big Ten WR that have been the Jets worst nightmares from a PR standpoint(Mason, Edwards, Holmes and slightly Burress though he was far better behaved as a Jet than the other 3). Floyd will (Hopefully) turn that around.
Phillip Thomas, Syracuse This is who I would love have playing Safety in 2012. Everything I see about him screams Rex Ryan. He was suspended late this year for team rules, but has every thing we need in a safety. Would fit right in! :wink: I have no idea where he will fall, but is a player to watch in the combine. He was invited.
What's with Cuse players getting suspended? If Thomas turns out to be Mike Williams part 2, sign me up for a 6th round draft pick!
I have a feeling that the situation will reveal itself come combine time, but will be just something immature. I watched him a lot this season and he should scream up the boards. I see him going around 4th round, and would be a steal, IMO. Of course, I love Mike Williams also.
Well neither have caught a winning SB pass for us, and all they’ve provided for us was shitty route running, no separation, a locker room in shambles and no support for our young QB. David Tyree had the most remarkable catch in SB history. Should we go sign him too?
The thing with Eric Smith was is that he took such awful routes to make tackles and really put himself out of position because of doing so. That's always been my biggest gripe with him. Lets be honest, not many safeties are truly fast unless they are converted from being a CB.