Battle Red Blog
Texans newest CB is a mixed bag of tenacity, agility, and fragility
If the Houston Texans are assembling the Avengers in their secondary, their newest addition packs the same punch and brings the same mentality to the team as the current cast. The small, hard-nosed defensive back played just about every position on USC’ secondary over his four seasons.
In today’s film review, we will analyze the 2024, but a further dive into his 2023 film will be necessary as that’s when he played the nickel role he’ll most likely return to.
Past Texans 2025 Draft Pick Film Reviews:
Utilizes trail techniques to mirror the wide receiver. This works well against bigger receivers or tight ends, but when facing speed he lost leverage several times against Oregon.
Cornerback is my far and away least favorite position to review. The amount of nuance that occurs in their positioning, hand placement, leverage, coverage requirements, and is extremely difficult to
What we can control for is evaluating footwork, reaction time, tackling, getting burned, effort against the run, and stickiness on routes.
Fact of the matter is that Houston uses nickel personnel second most in the league and that predicates having multiple quality cornerbacks and safeties. Houston was at a loss without Jalen Pitre late in 2024 and they found a cheap and efficient option to
Jaylin Smith is a typical DeMeco Ryans style CB - athleticism and speed are secondary to mentality, vision, and tenacity. Smith won’t be asked to play Cover 1 and stick with a receiver downfield, instead he’ll start as a situational nickel/safety with impact on special teams. Keeping him closer to the line of scrimmage to emphasize his run support will accentuate not only his play style but the team’s scheme in 2025.
This was Smith’s high school scouting report... at least one high school scout got it right:
Undersized safety who has incredible instincts, toughness and is always around the ball. Has a corner frame and does cover well but is more comfortable playing safety where he see the field and react. Isn’t afraid to come up in run support and is a very sure tackler. Can break down and make plays in space and always plays hard with a lot of energy and emotion. Projects as a impact upper tier Power 5 starter and future mid round NFL draft pick.
Sticks his nose in the running game and caps off the defensive gap responsibilities with vigor. His scrappiness at the point of contact is extremely raw; he’s swiping, yanking, pulling, and handsy. Honing in on his aggression at the catch point will pair enthusiasm with technique. This game was by far his highest grade of the season. His defense on the goal line on second and goal from the three saved a touchdown. Michigan provided quality tape of his run defense, but less on his coverage skills.
