Washington Redskins Unheralded Players: FS Maurice Smith

Redskins FS Maurice Smith Player Breakdown

Despite Smith’s late-season promotion with the Redskins, there isn’t much film evidence of his skill set. He started Week 17 at free safety, due to the team’s injuries in the secondary, but he himself was injured after just eight snaps, and had to be carted off the field.

Smith’s testing numbers from Georgia’s pro day in 2017 make it clear that, while he does have previous experience at cornerback, he’s not meant to play there now. At Georgia’s pro day, Smith put up below-average numbers for a defensive back, logging a 4.62 40-yard dash, a 31.5-inch vertical, and a 115-inch broad jump, with a 6-foot-0, 194-pound frame.

Despite his pedigree as a top high school recruit and former Alabama signee, athleticism has never been Smith’s calling card, and that will limit whatever kind of development he can undergo in the NFL from this point forward.

That being said, there’s a reason Smith has even stuck around at all. While he’s not athletic, Smith is tough, physical, and smart, and he’s also willing to play whatever role is required of him. That specific amalgamation of traits may bode well for him as a special teamer, and while he doesn’t have the athletic profile to reinforce his potential, he did achieve a decent level of ball production in college without that physical baseline.