The Las Vegas Raiders selected former Georgia safety Christopher Smith II in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft at No. 170 overall. They traded up with the Jets in order to select him, trading away sixth and seventh round selections.
Smith started 31 games for the back-to-back National Champion Bulldogs, posting 132 tackles, six tackles for loss, 10 pass break ups, and six interceptions.
What are the Raiders getting in Christopher Smith II? First and foremost, they are getting a winning player. Smith had a 37-3 record in college over the last three seasons, with the two aforementioned National Championships. He was a Bronko Nagurski Award finalist for the nation’s top defensive player.
When watching Georgia’s excellent defense, it’s hard to take your eyes off of #29 in the defensive backfield. He’s always in the right place, flying around the field and making plays on the ball. He’s a hard worker and was an All-American as well as a First-Team All-SEC member.
Smith is undersized and did not test well at the NFL Scouting Combine, only running a 4.62 40-yard dash. He is more of a downhill tackler than a true coverage player and will need to improve on that at the next level.
Christopher Smith II joins the Raiders as a hard worker and can learn from Marcus Epps. Getting a player who was given lots of responsibility by a coach like Kirby Smart could pay dividends for the Raiders in the future and they got great value for a fifth round pick.
Here is a complete list of every pick and links to more information about them:
Round 1 No. 7 overall pick: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
Round 2 No. 35 overall pick: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Round 3 No. 70 overall: Byron Young, DT, Alabama
Round 3 No. 100 overall: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
Round 4 No. 104 overall: Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland
Round 4 No. 135 overall: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue
Round 5 No. 170 overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia
Round 6 No. 203 overall: Amari Burney, LB, Florida
Round 7 No. 231 overall: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State
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