Jonathan Bales is the founder of TheDCTimes.com and is helping analyze draft prospects for The Fifth Down in his Scouting the Draft preview series.

The only safeties I have written scouting reports on this off-season are Alabama’s Mark Barron and Oklahoma State’s Markelle Martin. Barron will be a first-round pick, potentially in the top 15, and Martin is a Day 2 prospect. Sandwiched between those two is Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.

Scouting Report

Harrison Smith is a strong safety all the way. He is listed as a free safety in most rankings, and the N.F.L. safety positions are becoming more interchangeable, but Smith is not a turn-and-run, play-the-deep-middle type of safety. He thrives in the box and when he is near the line of scrimmage. He i’s a good blitzer, as you can see at the 39-second mark.

Smith plays almost as a small linebacker, reading plays and flying up to make hits. When he is allowed to roam near the line, Smith can be a really good player. He can cover running backs and some tight ends effectively, and he can even line up in the slot at times. Smith excels in underneath zone coverage. He will not be able to consistently play man against receivers.

Some have labeled Smith as a ballhawk, but I do not see that. When asked to play the deep middle, Smith looks stiff. His instincts are not bad and he reads plays well, but he really is not a rangy defender. His stiffness shows up as a tackler in space (see the 1:42 mark). In traffic, however, Smith displays excellent wrap-up tackling technique.

Over all, Smith can be an effective N.F.L. player if he is not asked to play too much man coverage.



Projection

I have seen Smith as high as the late first round in some mock drafts, and I think that is crazy. Smith will probably go somewhere in the early to middle portion of the second round, and even that could be too high. For what might turn out to be an undersize linebacker, I would not spend more than a third-round selection.

Most Likely Destinations

Tampa Bay, Jets, New England, Houston, Detroit, Green Bay

Previous Scouting Reports

Michael Brockers, DT/DE, L.S.U.

Devon Still, DT/DE, Penn State

Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama

David DeCastro, G, Stanford

Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

Janoris Jenkins, CB, Florida/North Alabama

Mark Barron, SS, Alabama

Morris Claiborne, CB, L.S.U.

Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

Cordy Glenn, G, Georgia

Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia

Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

Brandon Boykin, CB, Georgia

Nick Perry, DE/OLB, U.S.C.

Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

Fletcher Cox, DT/DE, Mississippi State

Jerel Worthy, DT/DE, Michigan State

Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall

Markelle Martin, S, Oklahoma State