BR NFL Scouting DepartmentContributor I
Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire through Getty Images
HEIGHT: 5’9″
WEIGHT: 190
HAND: 8 1/2″
ARM: 29″
WINGSPAN: 70 1/4″
40-YARD DASH: N/A
3-CONE: N/A
SHUTTLE BUS: N/A
VERTICAL: N/A
BROAD: N/A
POSITIVES
— Quick feet with above-average volatility. Can be stylish at the top of paths.
— Good burst as a ball-carrier. Pedals into high equipment rapidly.
— Natural vision and rate with the ball in his hands. Does not leave backyards on the field.
— Very great concentration and ball abilities. Happy to make objected to catches around protectors.
— Plenty of experience and production as both a punt and kick returner.
NEGATIVES
— Size limitations him to slot-only work.
— Inconsistency as a route-runner coming from playing too expensive sometimes. Loses unexpected change-of-direction capability as an outcome.
— Poor play strength as a route-runner. Easy to knock off his area and decrease throughout the stem.
— Small frame and extremely brief arms make it challenging for him to go win the ball in the air regularly.
2023 STATISTICS
— 12 G, 53 REC, 795 YDS (15.0 AVG), 2 TD
NOTES
— Born May 31, 2001
— 3-star hire in 2019, per 247Sports
— 37 profession begins
— 2023 first-team All-SEC (All-Purpose/Return Specialist)
— Missed the majority of the 2022 season with a fracture in his best leg
— Younger bro of previous NFL DB Maurice Smith
TOTAL
Ainias Smith is a slot-only receiver with the elusiveness, durability and return capability to be a beneficial NFL gamer.
As a receiver, Smith mostly wins with burst and speed. His long speed is exceptional, however Smith is typically at his finest working the short-to-intermediate locations on slants, shallow crossers, whip paths and different zone beaters.
Smith is a difficult receiver at the catch point. He’s never ever going to have the length or strength of a real ball-winner, however he shows excellent concentration in the middle of mayhem. He does not mind taking a hit. Smith’s hands are sticky, and it’s unexpected how typically he can pluck the ball from not likely circumstances for a gamer his size.
Smith likewise stands out when the ball remains in his hands. He does not have any elite athletic qualities, however he’s a smooth, positive ball-carrier with a little jerk to him and simply sufficient open-field speed to be an annoyance. All of that equates to Smith’s return capability, particularly on punts.
At the very same time, Smith’s size makes him a slot-only gamer in the NFL. He does not have the size to beat press, and it reveals on movie. Smith lets DBs into his frame and does not have the strength to combat through them regularly.