Geno Smith Scouting Report

Measureables:

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 218

Arm length: 32 1/2”

Hand: 9 1/4”

40 time: 4.59

Pros:

• Extremely productive three year starter at WVU
• Smart hard working player with a strong passion for the game.
• Strong arm capable of making every NFL throw
• Very good pocket presence, feels the defensive pressure really well
• Though not a runner in college, has very good speed and can both buy time and pick-up big yardage with his feet
• Overall good accuracy and ball placement
• Smart with the football, rarely made poor choices by throwing into coverage these last two years
• Hasn’t had a strong rushing attack or defense to support him, responsible for much of WVU’s success
• Reads defenses well, and shows good anticipation
• A leader on and off the field, exactly what you are looking for in your quarterback

Cons:

• Has played almost exclusively in a shotgun spread system, could struggle some early if forced to abandon that style of offense
• Footwork will get sloppy at times
• Accuracy at times can get a little inconsistent
• From time to time will unnecessarily rush throws
• Would try to do too much at times, especially when the defense gave up a lead early

Overall:

Geno Smith is the top quarterback in this draft class. Though he’s not on the same page of some recent high first round picks like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, Smith is worthy of a high selection because he has the skill set and tools to develop into a Franchise quarterback. He may not be an overnight sensation, but Smith is a smart hardworking quarterback, with good accuracy and a strong arm. He shows a fairly advanced knowledge of reading defenses, and also is extremely athletic. He may need a little more development time as he shows some minor inconsistencies in his game. Though they all seem correctable, Smith would suffer from mini-slumps where he’d just be off target for a quarter, half or rarely a full game. One issue that needs to be addressed for a team considering Smith high in the draft, is what type of offense would you put him into. He comes from a spread attack where he’s in shotgun almost exclusively. Though that might be impossible in the NFL, a team should tailor their offense more to Smith’s strengths to get the most out of him. He should easily go in the top ten picks, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see his name off the board in the top 5.