Georgia safety Chris Smith was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 170 overall pick.
Smith was a three-year starter and a permanent captain for the Georgia Bulldogs. He started in each of the last two national championship games, which Georgia both won. He also forced a turnover in each of those games.
As a senior, Smith was a unanimous First-Team All-American at the safety position. He finished with 61 tackles and three interceptions.
Smith played safety at Georgia but he also played some nickel corner while at Georgia. He was a starter for Georgia’s 2021 NFL defense, which has already seen 11 members from the defense get drafted. Seven of those draft picks were taken in the first round, including Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Smith was asked to play a much bigger role for Georgia this season and excelled at it. He and Carter were the only two All-Americans on the team.
“We had a lot of young guys that didn’t have as much playing time,” Smith said. “Very talented but you need the experience on the field to become a good player. I just did my best to give my experiences to them because they had the talent. At the end of the day, all they needed was for me to take them under my wing and show them the way. That’s all I wanted to do.”
Smith is the sixth Georgia Bulldog to be taken in this year’s draft, as Darnell Washington and Kelee Ringo were taken in the second round. Smith also becomes the 12th member of Georgia’s 2021 defense to be drafted. Seven of those players were taken in the first round.
Smith was coached by Will Muschamp at Georgia, himself a fellow Georgia safety. Muschamp has put a number of talented defensive players into the draft in his time as a coach and he loves what Smith brings to the table.
“You know, the leadership he provides, the work ethic, the practice habits, you know, he’s what you want in a player,” Muschamp said. “I’m a huge Chris Smith fan. Love the guy, how he goes about his business.
“And I would say this – he’ll get mad when I say it, but the intangible quality he has supersedes his ability. And that’s a compliment for how he goes about his business.”
Smith did not have a great NFL combine but he is a better football player than an athlete. And he’ll look to prove it at the NFL.
What an NFL team is getting in Georgia safety Chris Smith
2023 NFL Combine results: Safety Chris Smith
40-yard dash: 4.62
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 192 pounds
Bench: 15
Broad Jump: 9′8
Vertical Jump: 33′
More Chris Smith stories from around DawgNation
- ‘Luck’ has nothing to do with excellent play of Georgia football safety Chris Smith
- Jalen Carter, Chris Smith named First-Team AP All-Americans for Georgia football
- Chris Smith turns in 4.62 40-yard dash but scouts confident he plays faster: ‘He is a playmaker’
- Chris Smith issues a warning about Georgia football: ‘This team is going to be a problem for years to come’
- Georgia football star Christoper Smith cherishes final outing wearing the ‘G’
