Tag: christopher smith

Senior Bowl coaching staff selects Saints assistant Cory Robinson

The Senior Bowl has selected Saints assistant Cory Robinson for its American Team coaching staff, where he’ll work with draft prospects like LSU’s Jay Ward:

The Senior Bowl announced Tuesday that it has selected New Orleans Saints assistant defensive backs coach Cory Robinson for its coaching staff, where he’ll work with draft prospects throughout a week of practices leading up to the all-star game. He’s one of four Saints coaches who will be working the event, along with passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry (the National Team offensive coordinator) and offensive assistant Declan Doyle (the American Team tight ends coach), plus another coach to be named later.

Robinson will be coaching the American Team safeties Jay Ward (LSU), Demarcco Hellams (Alabama), Jammie Robinson (Florida State), and Christopher Smith II (Georgia). This is a good opportunity for him to get valuable on-field and classroom experience while familiarizing himself with some of the prospects entering the 2023 draft.

Safety is a minor need for the Saints, who have a couple of older players under contract for the next two years in Marcus Maye and Tyrann Mathieu. Maye missed seven games with injuries in 2022 and his backups, Justin Evans and Daniel Sorensen, didn’t inspire a ton of confidence. If they can tackle bigger problems in free agency, it would make sense to draft a safety in preparation for taking one of those roster spots in the near future.

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Georgia safety Christopher Smith declares for NFL draft

Smith plans to play in the Senior Bowl and is projected to be a late second round pick

Georgia Bulldogs safety Christopher Smith is entering the 2023 NFL draft. Smith is a former four-star recruit. He began his career at Georgia in 2018. His return boosted the play of Georgia’s secondary during the 2022 season.

Christopher Smith is an excellent tackler and rarely is out of position. The former Hapeville Charter standout will be missed. Georgia is expected to turn to Malaki Starks and David Daniel-Sisavanh at the safety position in 2023. The Dawgs signed elite safety recruit Joenel Aguero as part of the 2023 recruiting class.

Smith, who was named as an All-American, has accepted an invitation to the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl will be played on Feb. 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is considered the top NFL draft scouting scrimmage ahead of the draft.

Smith was named one of four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Smith, a senior, finished the 2022 college football season 60 total tackles, one sack, three interceptions, a forced fumble and five pass deflections. Smith had a memorable blocked field goal return for a touchdown in the SEC championship game against LSU.

Smith finishes his Georgia career as a back-to-back national champion. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety is ranked as the No. 62 player in the 2023 NFL draft.

Smith thanked Bulldog nation via Twitter:

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Chiefs hit needs in Christmas 3-round 2023 mock draft

Our @goldmctNFL is celebrating Christmas with an early 3-round mock draft that hits some big needs for the #Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched their seventh consecutive AFC West title and if they’re looking to make it No. 8 in 2023, they’ll have some work to do come draft time.

With only two weeks left in the NFL regular season, we’re taking a look ahead at how the earliest rounds of the draft could shake out for Kansas City. Some prospects are getting ready to make their final impression during bowl season and the college football playoffs, while others have already opted out and begun training ahead of the draft. Which of college football’s biggest stars could K.C. end up adding in 2023?

Here’s a look at how the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft could shake out for the Chiefs, using the latest updated order following Week 15:

Georgia safety Christopher Smith accepts Senior Bowl invitation

Georgia Bulldogs defense back Christopher Smith has accepted an invitation to the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs defense back Christopher Smith has accepted an invitation to the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl will be played on Feb. 4 at 2:30 p.m. ET.

The game is played annually in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is considered the top NFL draft scouting scrimmage ahead of the draft.

Christopher Smith was named as one of four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Smith, a senior, has 49 total tackles, one sack, three interceptions and five pass deflections. Smith had a memorable blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the SEC championship game against LSU.

Smith will enter the 2023 NFL draft following the end of the college football season.

Georgia’s defense ranks second in the country in scoring defense. Christopher Smith is a big reason why Georgia’s defense is so good. He seldom gets beat deep and is a strong run defender.

Smith returned to Georgia for another season to boost his NFL draft stock and to win another national championship. Smith has certainly has helped his 2023 NFL draft stock this season.

The senior made the midseason all-riser team for the Senior Bowl. Smith and true freshman Malaki Starks have played the safety position at an elite level for Georgia this year.

The Senior Bowl announced Smith’s accepted invitation via Twitter:

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Georgia Bulldogs Ladd McConkey, Christopher Smith talk SEC Championship

‘A lot of guys have not won one.’

No. 1 Georgia (12-0) preparing to face No. 14 LSU (9-3) in the SEC Championship on Saturday in Atlanta

Despite the Bulldogs recent string of dominant play and big wins, Georgia is 1-3 in SEC Championship apperances under Kirby Smart, including a 41-24 loss to Alabama a year ago.

Senior safety Christopher Smith noted the losses and the opportunity for redemption this weekend.

“It’s definitely one of our team goals to be able to win the SEC. I’ve played in this game three times and haven’t been able to win, so hopefully fourth time’s a charm,” Smith said. “We’re going to put in the work and execute the game plan as best as possible to go out there and get the win.”

The majority of UGA’s roster hasn’t experienced a conference championship win as Georgia’s last win came in 2017 in a 28-7 win over Auburn.

Sophomore receiver Ladd McConkey is also one of those players.

“SEC championships are hard to come by like we said. I haven’t won one since we’ve been here. A lot of guys have not won one. They’ve been in it before but haven’t won it. We know how much of a challenge it is to get to this point and how much of a challenge it’s going to be for the rest of the year. But yeah, we just want to go out, take it one game at a time, just put our best foot forward and do what we need to do to get the win.”

Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and will televised on CBS.

 

Georgia defender named as Bronko Nagurski Trophy finalist

A UGA football defensive back is turning the heads of NFL draft scouts thanks to some of his performances this season.

Georgia Bulldogs defense back Christopher Smith has been named one of four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. Smith, a senior, has 36 total tackles, one sack, two interceptions and five pass deflections.

No defense has allowed fewer touchdowns (10) than Georgia’s. It is second in the country in scoring defense, and Christopher Smith is a big reason. He seldom gets beat deep and is a strong run defender.

Smith returned to Georgia for another season to boost his NFL draft stock and to win another national championship. Smith has certainly has helped his 2023 NFL draft stock this season.

The senior made the midseason all-riser team for the Senior Bowl. Smith and true freshman Malaki Starks have played the safety position at an elite level for Georgia this year.

Additionally, the Nagurski Trophy named Alabama defensive end Will Anderson Jr., Pittsburgh defensive end Calijah Kancey, and USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu as finalists for the award.

Will Anderson Jr. has eight sacks, an interception, and 42 tackles for Alabama. Calijah Kancey has 30 tackles and seven sacks for Pittsburgh. Tuli Tuipulotu has 11.5 sacks and 32 tackles for USC.

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Brock Bowers, Christopher Smith lead Week 9’s top performers list

Who stood out in Week 9? Our SEC editorial team on the College Wire weigh in.

During Week 9 action in the SEC, the featured game on CBS pit the Georgia Bulldogs against the Florida Gators in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville, Florida. While the game was close for a time, UGA ran away with it.

In the early window, we saw the final game of the Bryan Harsin era as the Auburn Tigers fell to the Arkansas Razorbacks 41-27. That snapped a six-game skid in the series for the Hogs. On Monday, Harsin was fired after just 21 games on the Plains.

After a huge win for South Carolina in Week 8, they fell to unranked Missouri at home, 23-10. The blowout of the week featured the Tennessee Vols rolling past Kentucky, 44-6. In the night game, we saw Ole Miss hold off the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station, 31-28.

This week we will see all 14 SEC teams in action. The biggest showdowns will feature the Vols coming to Athens to face the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs and the Alabama Crimson Tide heading to Death Valley to face off with LSU. Both games could determine the SEC Championship matchup.

With Week 10 on the horizon, our editorial team weighs in on the top performers in the SEC from last weekend’s action. Each editor voted on seven different categories.

The Voters:

Without further ado, let’s dive into the selections made by our editorial team:

Georgia DB named as a Senior Bowl riser

A UGA football defensive back is turning the heads of NFL draft scouts thanks to some of his performances this season.

Georgia Bulldogs defense back Christopher Smith returned to school for another season to help boost his NFL draft stock and to try to win another national championship. Smith has certainly has helped his 2023 NFL draft stock in the first half of the year.

The senior made the midseason all-riser team for the Senior Bowl. Christopher Smith has 21 total tackles, two interceptions, and three pass deflections this season.

Smith has been solid in coverage and has provided excellent run support throughout the season. Smith, freshman Malaki Starks, and veteran Dan Jackson have all played well at the safety position for Georgia this year.

Jim Nagy announced the Senior Bowl’s all-riser team via Twitter:

Georgia did not have any players that made Nagy’s all-riser offensive team. However, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett has grabbed Nagy’s attention with some of his impressive performances this season.

Christopher Smith took advantage of the 2020 college football season not counting against players’ eligibility. He elected to return to Athens for a fifth season in 2022. Smith has five interceptions in his career at Georgia.

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Georgia places seven players on ESPN’s top-100 for 2022

Seven Dawgs made ESPN’s list of the top-100 CFB players for 2022

ESPN ranked the top-100 players in college football for the upcoming 2022 season and multiple Georgia Bulldogs made the list, including two in the top-ten.

Despite losing 15 players to the NFL and more to the NCAA transfer portal, the Dawgs still placed seven players inside the top-100.

Alabama leads the way with 8 players, including the No. 1 overall and No. 2 overall guys in quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson. Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud checked in at No. 3 on the list.

Here are the seven Georgia players inside the top-100:

NIL valuations for Georgia’s most valuable players

These NIL valuations for Georgia players will blow your mind

On3 has released its NIL Valuation Rankings, which sets the standard market NIL value for college athletes.

Taking into account a player’s performance, exposure and influence, On3 calculates an athlete’s NIL value, projecting out to as long as 12 months into the future.

On3’s “NIL100” ranks the 100 most valuable college football players in America. The most valuable college football player in America is Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, with an NIL valuation of $3.1M, $700K larger than Ohio State’s CJ Stroud who is tied for second on the list.

On3 also looks at high school prospects, where Arch Manning’s valuation is at $3.4M, making him the most valuable football player in America on either the high school or collegiate level. Sierra Canyon’s Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, has the largest NIL valuation of anyone at $6.4M.

The Georgia Bulldogs have nine players on the list, including five in the top-50: