Ourlads' Profile:
2025 Guide: What Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services said about JAYLIN SMITH:
USC | Hometown: Mission Hills, CA | HT: 5105 | WT: 187 | 40 time: 4.45 | Hand: 0914 | Arm: 3038 | Wing: 7514
Three-year starter. Third-team All Big 10 in 2024. Versatile defender with experience playing outside and at safety, but will fit best at nickel with his measurements. Gets low in his stance with excessive bend in his extremities. Goes step-for-step with receivers off the line to slow their release. Excellent backpedal to drop back quickly. Fluid hips to turn and run with receivers downfield. Great in transition and will close space quickly on routes underneath. Sticky in man coverage with athleticism and physicality to stay in-phase on sharp breaks. Sits down seamlessly when matching receivers on comebacks. His extensive experience shows up with his knowledge of routes and concepts, and is able to play most routes in the book. Able to high-point passes to come away with picks and win contested catch situations. Collapses into the backfield with square hips ready to tackle in run support. Shows impressive tackling form and strength for his size as he runs through ball carriers to bring them down. Speed off the edge to meet ball carriers in the backfield. Loses regularly on the release due to his punch and biting on jab steps. Punches with both hands, and needs more violence; receivers swipe his hands away with ease. Sloppy footwork shows up at the line and during the route. Needs to more consistently collision receivers coming off the line in both off-man and zone coverage. Fringe functional strength makes it difficult to beat receivers for the ball and create deflections. Gets dominated in the run game by receivers on the edge as his lack of length makes it difficult to get hands on them. Despite his tackling success, he will allow significant yards-after-contact.
2024 Stats: 59 T, 4 TFL, 2 PBU, 2 INT. OSR:17/25. VJ-32.5. Draft projection: 5th-6th round