Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Marcus Epps are all slated for free agency. It won’t be possible for the Eagles to bring them all back, especially once Jalen Hurts signs his new deal.
Philadelphia could look to draft a cornerback and safety with multiple free agents in the secondary.
We’ve previewed the edge rushers and linebackers who worked out on Thursday, and here are the takeaways from the defensive back portion of the events.
The Aussie will always be a Players champion. No one can take that away, and the Tour is not.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Contrary to chatter in 19th holes and bars along A1A, all vestiges of Cameron Smith’s victory in the 2022 Players Championship have not been washed clean at the TPC Sawgrass or the Players Stadium Course.
It’s true that the Jacksonville-area resident and Australian native lost his playing and practicing privileges at the home of the Players when he defected to the LIV Golf League last year after becoming the first man since Jack Nicklaus in 1978 to win the Players and the British Open in the same year.
But the Tour has acknowledged, with traditional gestures, Smith’s one-shot victory over Anirban Lahiri in the first Monday finish since 2005.
The flag of the previous champion’s home country flies between The Perch and the clubhouse, and Australia’s has been fluttering in the breeze every day since Smith’s 66 in the final round.
Unless another Aussie such as 2004 Players champion Adam Scott or 2016 winner Jason Day comes up big again this week at the Stadium Course, the flag will change to the new champion’s country sometime during the evening of March 12, the day of the final round.
There are also two ways past Players champions are honored within the clubhouse: a recap of their victory, with a caricature of the player, is made into a framed poster and hung in one hallway; and a display of clubs that each winner used during their triumphal week in another hallway.
Smith’s smiling visage, his long hair spilling from under his flat-brimmed hat, is in one hallway, and a pitching wedge he used last year is in the other.
He will always be a Players champion. No one can take that away, and the Tour is not.
But he’s still an absentee champion, only the fourth time in the 49-year history of the Players that a winner has not defended his title and the first since Tiger Woods missed the 2014 tournament with a back injury.
The other champions who didn’t defend were Jerry Pate in 1983 (shoulder injury) and Steve Elkington in 1998 (sinus infection), which means Smith is the first Players champion to miss the tournament the following year for non-injury reasons.
“He’s one of our champions and history speaks for itself,” said Players executive director Jared Rice. “The play of all of our past champions speaks for itself. But 2023 is about the players who will be here. We have our eyes forward on the product, which is the best field in golf again.”
Cameron Smith plays his shot from the 14th tee during the first round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Final round highs and lows
Smith’s victory in 2002 was remarkable for its highs and lows. He birdied his first four holes and five of his first six, weathered three bogeys in a row in the middle of his round, birdied another four in a row and five of eight, and escaped with a bogey at the last when he hit his second shot from the right trees into the water on the left of the 18th fairway.
Smith dropped, pitched onto the green and made a putt for bogey, then had to wait for Lahiri to finish before he knew he had won the Gold Man Trophy. Smith finished at 13-under 275.
And it was a week in which Smith worked magic with his wedges and putter. He was dead last in driving accuracy, hitting only 24 fairways, and tied for 52nd in greens in regulation.
But Smith was first in strokes gained putting and fourth in the total feet of putts made, more than making up for any issues with finding short grass.
The Players galleries took Smith to their embrace as the day wore on. The fact that he’s a world-class golfer, loves to fish (he participated in the Kingfish Tournament last July) and has a personality that exudes a beach vibe has made him one of the most popular players among First Coast golf fans.
“I’ve never been one to expect much of myself,” he said after the 2022 Players. “My expectations are that I wake up, go to the gym, practice as hard as I can for a couple of hours and then go have a good time.”
More evidence that Smith is an all-world good dude was in the aftermath of his victory at the Stadium Course. His caddie passed the word among other caddies: the party was at Smith’s home along the Intracoastal Waterway.
It was pure Cam: pizza and beer with his friends, a fitting end to a marvelous week.
A poster with the scorecard and artwork depicting Cameron Smith’s 2022 Players championship hangs in the TPC Sawgrass clubhouse along with those from other past champions. (Photo by Garry Smits/Florida Times-Union)
Smith’s game in good form
The Times-Union has made numerous attempts to contact Smith for recollections of his Players victory.
Multiple emails and social media messages were left with the LIV Golf League communications department. Nearly two weeks later, a one-line email from LIV Golf directed inquiries to Smith’s agent, Bud Martin, “since the interview is related to the Players Championship.”
In response to an email requesting an interview, Martin sent a three-word reply: “Pass for now.”
Two PGA Tour players who have remained friends with Smith were also sought out and asked if they could intercede, to no avail. One of them said the chance of an interview with Smith was “one in 100.”
A reporter for Golfweek attempted to interview Smith after a practice round at Mayakoba, Mexico, last week but didn’t get a response.
While Smith’s victory is still honored in three places at the TPC Sawgrass, LIV Golf seems to make a point of avoiding the mention of any PGA Tour titles in its players’ online biographies, citing only major championships, college and amateur accomplishments and other international victories.
Smith’s bio, for example, has 13 bullet-point career highlights, none of which mentions the 2022 Players.
Smith may not be playing golf at the TPC Sawgrass but he’s been spotted numerous times around the First Coast since he went to LIV Golf. He’s been seen playing at Glen Kernan and The Yards and his game appears in good form.
Smith tied for fifth in the first LIV event of the season at Mayakoba and won the Australian PGA for the third time in his career in November. He will play next in two weeks in the LIV event in Tucson.
He was ranked second in the world behind Scottie Scheffler after winning the British Open and despite receiving no rankings points for his LIV Golf starts, he’s now fifth, the highest-ranked LIV player.
After winning the British Open and announcing his move to LIV, Smith played five times, winning in Chicago and Doral and tying for fourth in Boston. He finished 10th on the League’s points list in 2023.
The Australian flag flies at the TPC Sawgrass in honor of Cameron Smith winning the 2022 Players Championship. Traditionally, the flag of the winner’s country is flown for one year after his victory.
Cam Flag
Again, no repeat champion
Smith’s absence also means there will not be a repeat champion, which has never happened in Players history – speaking to the depth of the field and difficulty of the course.
“That just goes to show you how hard it is come back and play this golf course,” Day said during Players week in 2017. “Because it does test every aspect of your game, not only the physical part, but the mental part as well.”
Scott said that same week that the nature of the course, which favors no style of player, doesn’t mean a defending champion will find it any easier.
“We have so many different styles of game, so I think the course is open to so many different guys to have a chance to win,” he said. “There’s more guys in the mix … leaves it open for anyone.”
For further context in how hard a task it would have been for Smith, or any defending Players champion to repeat, the Masters has had two repeat winners (Nick Faldo in 1989-90 and Woods in 2001-02), the U.S. Open two (Curtis Strange in 1988-89 and Brooks Koepka in 2017-18), the PGA Championship three (Woods in 1999-2000 and 2006-07 and Koepka in 2017-18) and the British Open three (Tom Watson in 1982-83, Woods in 2005-06 and Padraig Harrington in 2007-08).
No defending Players champion has finished higher than a tie for fifth (Tom Kite in 1990) or been closer than four shots to the winner (Mark McCumber in 1989).
Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, James Bradberry, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Marcus Epps are all slated for free agency. It won’t be possible for the Eagles to bring them all back, especially once Jalen Hurts signs his new deal.
We’ve previewed the edge rushers and linebackers who worked out on Thursday, and we’ll now transition to a deep class at the defensive back position.
South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith talked about Darius Slay and James Bradberry while saying he’d like to be a part of that when discussing the Philadelphia Eagles
The NFL draft is all about securing top talent, and it surely helps when a top prospect has a mutual interest in your scheme and being a part of that program at the next level.
Former South Carolina star Cam Smith is widely considered one of the best defensive backs in college football and is projected as a first-round pick in April’s selection process.
While meeting with the media on Thursday at Lucas Oil Stadium, Smith was asked by Joe Castro about his initial combine meeting with the Eagles.
The talented cornerback referenced Darius Slay and James Bradberry when explaining why he’d like to be a part of the scheme and the outside play with Philadelphia.
“Seeing Darius Slay and James Bradberry go out there and do their thing, I’d like to be a part of that” – CB Cam Smith on playing with the #Eagles (sorry about the video lol) pic.twitter.com/k8TJb02CC5
A versatile defender with size, Smith played the cornerback and nickel positions with the Gamecocks, and during his time in the SEC, the athletic cornerback logged 91 tackles, 18 pass deflections, and six interceptions through 33 games at South Carolina.
With Bradberry likely to get big money on the open market, the Eagles will likely be in the mix for one of the top coverguys with the No. 10 and No 30 overall picks.
Doug Farrar of Touchdown wire his rankings of the top 50 players headed into the NFL Combine. See how they match up with the Vikings’ needs
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of pressing needs on their roster as they head into free agency and the NFL Draft. They’ll get their first opportunity to dive deeper into that process when the NFL Combine kicks off. The event is slated to start on February 28th, and it’s a chance for teams across the league to come and get to know the prospects who are expected to be drafted in April.
On Friday, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire put together an article ranking the top 50 prospects who are going to participate at the event next week. Let’s see how those players fall in conjunction with our managing editor Tyler Forness’ piece, where he ranked the Vikings’ biggest needs by position.
The company has worked with Cam Smith in the past and currently sponsors Patrick Reed.
During the LIV Golf Team Championship last October, former COO Atul Khosla told reporters the goal for 2023 would be to commercialize the product.
Just days ahead of its second season debut in Mexico, the upstart circuit led by Greg Norman and financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced its first global partner.
EasyPost will be LIV’s official shipping solutions partner and will now be part of broadcasts, social content and tournament signage. The company, based in Lehi, Utah, was founded in 2012 and says it aims to provide solutions to global shipping challenges. Cam Smith has worked with EasyPost in the past and Patrick Reed is currently sponsored by the company.
“We are thrilled to sponsor LIV Golf in 2023,” said Sam Hancock, VP of Growth at EasyPost. “Their innovative approach to golf will bring the sport to a broader range of spectators, and that’s something we are excited to get behind. We share the same mission, to modernize and innovate in our respective fields.”
LIV Golf lawyers admitted to “virtually zero” revenue in 2022 in a recent court filing and the deal with EasyPost is a step towards getting out of the red after spending hundreds of millions (if not a billion) in year one.
Tight ends and cornerbacks are dominating the Jaguars’ pick in mock drafts.
What’s better than a mock draft? How about more than 40 of them?
To get a better idea of what the Jacksonville Jaguars will do with the 24th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Jaguars Wire is compiling mocks from across the Internet for a weekly update on who experts think is going to wind up in Jacksonville.
With just over two months left until draft day, cornerbacks and tight ends are dominating the Jaguars picks.
Out of the 43 mock drafts surveyed this week, here are the leading candidates to be the Jaguars’ first-round selection:
Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling were given the choice of Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon, or any other CB draft prospect. The decision was easy for both of them.
Now that the scouting combine is right around the corner, it’s time for Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling to put on their imaginary general manager hats and make some personnel decisions with draft prospects. It’s Either/Or time! In this case, we’re giving Doug and Luke an interesting choice: You can have Illinois cornerback Devin Witherspoon, or every other cornerback in this draft class. Turns out, the decision was pretty easy.
Doug: This seems like a tough one, but it isn’t for me. In the first Top 50 of the 2023 draft season I released last week, I had Witherspoon at CB1 and the fifth-best prospect in this class. I then had Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez at ninth overall, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. at 11, South Carolina’s Cam Smith at 23, Alabama’s Brian Branch at 24, Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes at 27, and on and on. There are cornerbacks I need to watch more who could vault up that board by the time 2.0 comes out after the combine, like Maryland’s Deonte Banks, who I have right below the first round at 35th overall.
But here’s one thing I don’t think will change for me between now and the draft: Witherspoon is the best cornerback in this class, and his combination of size, speed, short-area quickness, and smart aggression set him apart. Most taller, lankier cornerbacks don’t have Witherspoon’s ability to adjust to routes in short spaces, and most smaller cornerbacks can’t just erase a receiver like Witherspoon can. In the 2022 season, per Pro Football Focus, he allowed 22 receptions on 63 targets for 206 yards, 71 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 25.0. Which means that a quarterback facing Witherspoon was much better off chucking the ball out of the stadium than targeting him.
It’s a loaded cornerback class with all kinds of skills on display, but yes, I’d take Witherspoon over the field. Without a second thought. He’s my guy if I’m a general manager, because I can build my whole secondary around talent like that.
Luke: When I first dove into Witherspoon’s tape, I really didn’t expect to like him that much more than every other corner in this class, but I did. There just aren’t any flaws, man. He’s big enough, fast enough, twitchy enough, smart enough. He’s got the technique, the instincts, the timing, the toughness. He does everything at such a high level, you’re almost waiting for the catch at some point, but it never comes. My most recent big board had Witherspoon at No. 4 overall, trailing only Will Anderson, Jalen Carter, and Bijan Robinson. I LOVE the top of this corner class, too…I just think Witherspoon is still just that good, though.
The day after the Super Bowl has a ton of mock drafts. Here are all of them in one place
With the 2022 season officially over, mock drafts came out fast and furious to capitalize on the start of the offseason for the last of the 32 teams.
The latest weekly mock draft roundup dropped on Monday morning and we are now up to 118 unique mock drafts with 38 different players having been selected.
Earlier on Monday, we wrote multiple pieces on the mock drafts that were released earlier in the day. The rest of the mock drafts are right here and there are some interesting choices.
Bleacher Report gives the Minnesota Vikings a potential franchise cornerback in round one of their latest Mock Draft
The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the offseason with a need at the cornerback position. On Monday following the Super Bowl, Bleacher Report’s scouting department released a mock draft that had the Vikings taking South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith.
“How long are the Minnesota Vikings going to rely on veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson? Peterson is a pending free agent. Besides, he turns 33 before the start of the 2023 campaign. Maybe it’s time to move on and find a younger, fresher option to serve as one of the team’s outside corners. Minnesota’s other top corner, Chandon Sullivan, happens to be a free agent as well. Even if one or both return, secondary help is a necessity in Minnesota.
South Carolina’s Cam Smith is a smooth cover option to bolster the group and give it options.
“The second-team All-SEC performer is an instinctual cornerback with high football intellect and outstanding athleticism,” Giddings said. “Smith does a great job of staying low out of his breaks, showing great closing speed and presents excellent timing regarding potential pass break-ups.
“Smith has been a top cornerback in the SEC for the last two seasons and will be added to the mix alongside Andrew Booth Jr., who will be returning from a season-ending knee injury, with the hopes of replacing Peterson.”
Over the long haul, a trio of Smith, Booth and first-round safety Lewis Cine presents a promising secondary.”
You can’t argue with the logic that the Bleacher Report lays out. The Vikings need depth at the position and a cornerstone player at the position. By drafting Smith, they would have a good chance of securing that position for the next half-decade.
