Let's talk UDFA: Tevaun Smith

[twfish]

I've decided to try and start a thing to go in depth and discuss some of the udfa's we've picked up. It always seems like we bring in a good batch of UDFA but I think this year was very good and can see a couple making the 53.

 

So to starts things off we will talk about a WR out of Iowa that was born in Canada, Tevaun Smith. 6'2 205 and his 40's at his pro day were 4.41 and 4.38 (Moncreifs' was 4.35 and 4.40 at the combine). He's a very gifted receiver and would have probably got alot more attention if he went to a better football school. He has impressive hands and snatches balls out of the air. I like the way he gets separation using either his speed or a quick double move. He seems very agile and he's good at playing and tracking the ball. A con though is he doesn't play very physical and he's a little light at 205 but he could easily bulk up. He was highly praised coming out of high school and has all the tools you really want in a WR, he seems to have his head on straight and appears to be a hard worker. I definitely would not mind him being #4-5 WR. An obvious and easy comparison is Moncreif and think he won have easily been worth a 5th 

I'm no Profesional and there's several on here that have more knowledge than I so please take it easy on me, I would like to continue these especially since it's a lil slow on here.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoBxIdZULU

[ColtsFanMikeC]

3 minutes ago, twfish said:

I've decided to try and start a thing to go in depth and discuss some of the udfa's we've picked up. It always seems like we bring in a good batch of UDFA but I think this year was very good and can see a couple making the 53.

 

So to starts things off we will talk about a WR out of Iowa that was born in Canada, Tevaun Smith. 6'2 205 and his 40's at his pro day were 4.41 and 4.38 (Moncreifs' was 4.35 and 4.40 at the combine). He's a very gifted receiver and would have probably got alot more attention if he went to a better football school. He has impressive hands and snatches balls out of the air. I like the way he gets separation using either his speed or a quick double move. He seems very agile and he's good at playing and tracking the ball. A con though is he doesn't play very physical and he's a little light at 205 but he could easily bulk up. He was highly praised coming out of high school and has all the tools you really want in a WR, he seems to have his head on straight and appears to be a hard worker. I definitely would not mind him being #4-5 WR. An obvious and easy comparison is Moncreif and think he won have easily been worth a 5th 

I'm no Profesional and there's several on here that have more knowledge than I so please take it easy on me, I would like to continue these especially since it's a lil slow on here.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoBxIdZULU

 

I am also pretty high on Smith.

 

I don't think he would have received any more attention had he gone to a different ('better') football school, as Iowa was a top 10 team last year and Kirk Ferentz is one of the most-highly respected college coaches by NFL Teams (there was a while when I thought he was going to be Colts' head coach, in fact).  There was a while when Polian was very high on Iowa's program (when we drafted Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark), and I believe either Pagano or Grigs mentioned how NFL ready players from Iowa are when we drafted Blythe this year.

 

All that said, I think Smith is very raw.  He needs much help on consistency in route running and in using his body.  As you mentioned, he has the size (he is actually somewhere around 6'0" or 6'1", though, not at 6'2") where bulking up should not be a major issue, but right now he either seems to lack strength (though 13 reps of 225 at his pro day is pretty strong for a WR) or lack of knowledge of how to use his size to his advantage.

 

He does have the hands and the speed, I think, for sure.  If he's coachable and can really improve his route-running, I could see him sticking around on the 53, but right now I'm projecting him as a practice squad player.

[twfish]

5 minutes ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

I am also pretty high on Smith.

 

I don't think he would have received any more attention had he gone to a different ('better') football school, as Iowa was a top 10 team last year and Kirk Ferentz is one of the most-highly respected college coaches by NFL Teams (there was a while when I thought he was going to be Colts' head coach, in fact).  There was a while when Polian was very high on Iowa's program (when we drafted Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark), and I believe either Pagano or Grigs mentioned how NFL ready players from Iowa are when we drafted Blythe this year.

 

All that said, I think Smith is very raw.  He needs much help on consistency in route running and in using his body.  As you mentioned, he has the size (he is actually somewhere around 6'0" or 6'1", though, not at 6'2") where bulking up should not be a major issue, but right now he either seems to lack strength (though 13 reps of 225 at his pro day is pretty strong for a WR) or lack of knowledge of how to use his size to his advantage.

 

He does have the hands and the speed, I think, for sure.  If he's coachable and can really improve his route-running, I could see him sticking around on the 53, but right now I'm projecting him as a practice squad player.

The height was a tricky thing because he was all over nfl had him at a little over 6 and Iowa ESPN and Google said 6'2 and he wasn't at the combine. 

[ColtsFanMikeC]

4 minutes ago, twfish said:

The height was a tricky thing because he was all over nfl had him at a little over 6 and Iowa ESPN and Google said 6'2 and he wasn't at the combine. 

He measure 6' 0 and 3/8" at his pro day.  Still at 6'0" + and 205 lbs and running a 4.3-4.4 forty, he should be able to figure out how to use his body to his advantage better than he seemingly has.

[Smonroe]

I think we're all assuming Bray is our #4 based on his KO return duties.  So 5 has to be good on STs and fill the Griff role, mostly as a slot guy?

 

I liked the highlights from Smith, he seems to have quickness and speed.  There's a reason these UDFAs were undrafted.  His may be related to not having enough exposure in that offense.

 

We'll see how he does in the preseason but I think he's the most promising of the group.  

[crazycolt1]

30 minutes ago, twfish said:

The height was a tricky thing because he was all over nfl had him at a little over 6 and Iowa ESPN and Google said 6'2 and he wasn't at the combine. 

I don't feel like height really makes much of a difference as far as his ability to be a receiver.  Speed, route running and hands are the key. A few of the top receivers in the league are under 6 feet.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

5 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

I think we're all assuming Bray is our #4 based on his KO return duties.  So 5 has to be good on STs and fill the Griff role, mostly as a slot guy?

 

I liked the highlights from Smith, he seems to have quickness and speed.  There's a reason these UDFAs were undrafted.  His may be related to not having enough exposure in that offense.

 

We'll see how he does in the preseason but I think he's the most promising of the group.  

 

He had 102 receptions for 1500 yards over his college career, with >20 receptions his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.  I am sure he could have gotten more exposure in some other offenses, but those are still pretty good numbers for a college WR (Dorsett, our 1st rounder from last year had 121 receptions over his college career).

 

With the speed he has, I won't be shocked to see him get lined up in the return game.  I also won't be shocked to see Dorsett getting reps in the return game again this year (he had a bad first go in the regular season last year and was injured, but Pagano seemed adamant after his troubles early that Dorsett was going to develop into a solid returner in this league).

 

I think you're right that after TY, Moncrief and Dorsett our 4th (and 5th/6th WRs if we keep that many) will need to be able to contribute on STs (whether as a returner or a gunner, etc.) and with Tevaun Smith's size and speed, he should be able to do that.

 

 

[Bravo]

Seems like there is potential to contribute but i guess you can say that about all of the UDFAs.

 

It seems to me the Colts are pretty high on this Tyms guy at WR. I guess he has impressed in OTA's and got a large majority of snaps above others when Dorsett and Moncrief were out. (Not that it says much this early in the season.)

[ColtsFanMikeC]

5 minutes ago, bravo4460 said:

Seems like there is potential to contribute but i guess you can say that about all of the UDFAs.

 

It seems to me the Colts are pretty high on this Tyms guy at WR. I guess he has impressed in OTA's and got a large majority of snaps above others when Dorsett and Moncrief were out. (Not that it says much this early in the season.)

 

Grigs did say that he didn't bring and UDFAs in to just be camp bodies -- but rather, he wouldn't sign people he didn't think could come in and compete for a job. 

 

I think most of the UDFAs we've brought in fall into 3 categories -- those who were highly productive players, but may have tested poorly (Ron Thompson, for example, ran a 4.9+ forty and didn't show the athleticism he showed on the field in his workouts for NFL teams) or those who weren't as productive but have some sort of physical/natural skill set which coaches hope they can develop (Tevaun Smith falls into this category as he seems to be raw and lack route-running precision, though he is freakishly fast and athletic -- MeKale McKay also falls into this category as a WR with a 6'4" frame and a 4.5-range forty, he just didn't show great production or much honed technical skills like route-running).  Then we've got a guy like Maggitt, who was very productive as a junior but would have been a risk as a draft pick due to injury concerns.

[Bravo]

2 minutes ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

Grigs did say that he didn't bring and UDFAs in to just be camp bodies -- but rather, he wouldn't sign people he didn't think could come in and compete for a job. 

 

I think most of the UDFAs we've brought in fall into 3 categories -- those who were highly productive players, but may have tested poorly (Ron Thompson, for example, ran a 4.9+ forty and didn't show the athleticism he showed on the field in his workouts for NFL teams) or those who weren't as productive but have some sort of physical/natural skill set which coaches hope they can develop (Tevaun Smith falls into this category as he seems to be raw and lack route-running precision, though he is freakishly fast and athletic -- MeKale McKay also falls into this category as a WR with a 6'4" frame and a 4.5-range forty, he just didn't show great production or much honed technical skills like route-running).  Then we've got a guy like Maggitt, who was very productive as a junior but would have been a risk as a draft pick due to injury concerns.

 

 

If if we even get 2 or 3 UDFAs thy can contribute to the team and make the roster that is a win for the Colts! I really do think this class has a couple guys who actually have a chance!

 

Maggit and Ferguson are the main 2 right now.

[krunk]

Mckay is where he is because he has hands of stone.  That's his big problem because his size is awesome.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Just now, krunk said:

Mckay is where he is because he has hands of stone.  That's his big problem because his size is awesome.

 

I don't disagree with that -- he's got the athletic ability and the size, but his hands and route-running are suspect.  Hopefully he can be coached to improve in those areas..... not to be a jerk, but this topic is about Tevaun Smith, hopefully we can discuss McKay in a future thread if the OP continues this type of thing.

[twfish]

9 minutes ago, krunk said:

Mckay is where he is because he has hands of stone.  That's his big problem because his size is awesome.

 

4 minutes ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

I don't disagree with that -- he's got the athletic ability and the size, but his hands and route-running are suspect.  Hopefully he can be coached to improve in those areas..... not to be a jerk, but this topic is about Tevaun Smith, hopefully we can discuss McKay in a future thread if the OP continues this type of thing.

Lol I was about to quote krunk and tell him shhhhh that may be the next discussion lol. I was going to open it up with him but I chose smith instead. Maybe I'll start and do all the WR then move to RB etc. But I am planning on doing it

[21isSuperman]

For what it's worth, he was selected in the first round of the CFL draft by the Edmonton Eskimos.

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/football/cfl/edmonton-eskimos/eskimos-take-former-iawa-wr-tevaun-smith-in-first-round-of-cfl-draft

 

[HectorRoberts]

I think he could be a good addition

[akcolt]

Smith is one of my favorite UDFA's. My buddy is a Hawks fan so I have seen him play a lot.  He has speed, breaks tackles, is a willing blocker, and the most important thing catches anything close to him. His route tree is limited mainly because Iowa plays such a conservative offense. 

 

I was surprised he went undrafted after his pro day. He is a hard worker and I think he at least makes the PS. I just mentioned him in another thread. The kid has a future on Sunday. He's the WR I'll be watching. 

 

I think Tyms has an advantage over all the WR's because he's proven he can be a good gunner in the league during his time in NE. Bray obviously has an advantage because of return duties

 

[lollygagger8]

Sounds pretty good on paper

[Valpo2004]

17 hours ago, twfish said:

I've decided to try and start a thing to go in depth and discuss some of the udfa's we've picked up. It always seems like we bring in a good batch of UDFA but I think this year was very good and can see a couple making the 53.

 

So to starts things off we will talk about a WR out of Iowa that was born in Canada, Tevaun Smith. 6'2 205 and his 40's at his pro day were 4.41 and 4.38 (Moncreifs' was 4.35 and 4.40 at the combine). He's a very gifted receiver and would have probably got alot more attention if he went to a better football school. He has impressive hands and snatches balls out of the air. I like the way he gets separation using either his speed or a quick double move. He seems very agile and he's good at playing and tracking the ball. A con though is he doesn't play very physical and he's a little light at 205 but he could easily bulk up. He was highly praised coming out of high school and has all the tools you really want in a WR, he seems to have his head on straight and appears to be a hard worker. I definitely would not mind him being #4-5 WR. An obvious and easy comparison is Moncreif and think he won have easily been worth a 5th 

I'm no Profesional and there's several on here that have more knowledge than I so please take it easy on me, I would like to continue these especially since it's a lil slow on here.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoBxIdZULU

 

It's not that he didn't go to an elite school, it's that the school he went to prefers the running game and short passing to the TE to taking a lot of shots down field.  

 

The offense he played in was just not designed to take advantage of his talents.  So he didn't put up gaudy stats.