Who is Alphonso Smith?

Since everyone liked the work I did on John Wendling I figured that maybe another write up was in order for "The Fonz". I honestly do not know too much about the guy so once again I will be learning along with everyone else.

More after the jump.

The Denver Broncos have traded defensive back Alphonso Smith to the Detroit Lions for tight end Dan Gronkowski.

Smith was at the bottom of Denver's depth chart in the secondary, having failed to live up to the promise he showed as a standout at Wake Forest.

The Broncos traded up in the second round of the 2009 draft to select Smith, dealing their 2010 first round pick (which became the 14th overall selection) to the Seattle Seahawks in the process.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5532034&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

Height: 5-9   Weight: 190   Age: 24

Born: 10/20/1985 Pahokee , FL

College: Wake Forest

Experience: 2nd season

High School: Pahokee HS [FL]

http://www.nfl.com/players/alphonsosmith/profile?id=SMI037429

Drafted: Round: 2 / Pick: 37

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonso_Smith

2006 (Sophomore):
Played in all 14 games and started three at cornerback ... Tied for the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss from his position in the secondary ... Ranked third on the team with four sacks ... Intercepted three passes, tied for the the third-most on the team ... Broke up eight passes, the third-most on the team ... Ranked seventh on the team with 48 tackles ... Blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown against North Carolina ... Made a season-high seven tackles at Connecticut ... Had two tackles for loss against Liberty ... Had four sacks and three interceptions over the team's final six games.

2007 (Junior):
Considered one of the top corners in the ACC ... First team All-ACC ... Second team All-America by Walter Camp ... Third team AP All-America squad and honorable mention on the Sports Illustrated All-America team ... Led the nation and the ACC with a school-record eight interceptions ... Had three interception returns for touchdowns ... Against BC and Vanderbilt, made an interception on the first play from scrimmage by the opponent ... Intercepted Boston College's Matt Ryan on the first play from scrimmage and returned it 21 yards for a score ... Intercepted Vanderbilt's Mackenzi Adams on the first play as well ... Smith's 100-yard interception return against Maryland sparked the Deacons to rally from a 24-3 deficit and post a 31-24 win in overtime over the Terps ... It was the longest return in school history and also set a BB&T Field record ... Was just the sixth player in ACC history to go the distance with an interception ... Also had a 30-yard return for a score against Duke ... Registered end zone interceptions against Florida State and NC State ... Had two picks against NC State and Vanderbilt, totaling four interceptions in the last two games ... Set the school record for interception return yards in a season only to see LB Aaron Curry break that mark later in the year ... Named ACC Defensive Back of the Week following the Maryland game (Sept. 22) ... Is a graduate of the National Football Foundation's Play It Smart program ... Led the ACC in fumbles forced with four ... Led the conference in passes defended with 18 ... Season-high seven tackles vs. Florida State and NC State ... Made three sacks on the year and now has nine career sacks ... Had 4.5 tackles for loss in 2007 and has 21 for his career.

http://wakeforestsports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/smith_alphonso00.html

2009 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:
person

Alphonso Smith, CB, Wake Forest

Playing such a significant role on a team for four years is pretty impressive no matter where you play. Wake Forest has been a quality team over most of those seasons. After redshirting in 2004 as a true freshman, Alphonso Smith stepped into the starting line-up before the season began. The cornerback earned a variety of All-American honors for his efforts. As a sophomore he only started three contests, but he tallied 8.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and three interceptions. As an upperclassman Smith really came into his own and earned first team All-ACC honors due to his eight interceptions, including three that were returned for touchdowns. Through four games in 2008, Smith already has 30 tackles, four for loss and one interception.

Smith has everything anybody could want from a cornerback -- with one exception. He is quick, has great instincts, can catch the ball very effectively and is rarely caught out of position. The one problem is his size. He is only 5-9 and 190 pounds.

His size, or lack there of, will keep him down on some draft boards, but Smith deserves to be mentioned with some of the top corners in this class. If he can separate himself from players like Kevin Barnes of Maryland, Mike Mickens of Cincinnati and Darius Butler of Connecticut, Smith could be a first round selection come April.

11/11 Update: Smith has done nothing this season to diminish his hopes of a first day selection. He has five interceptions, 13 pass break-ups and has tallied 29 total tackles through nine games. That is not a bad season as it is and there is still more time. His lack of size will still be the biggest thing standing between him and a first-round selection.

12/25 Update: Smith finished the year with seven interceptions and 13 pass break-ups. Smith culminated his collegiate career with an interception in the Eagle Bank Bowl during Wake Forest's 29-19 victory over Navy and will hope to ride that momentum into the NFL. Once again it is his height that will be the biggest problem and now Smith has to prove to NFL scouts that he can overcome that deficiency.

2/11 Update: Smith had some great Senior Bowl workouts and is quickly moving up draft boards. He will likely be a late first round or early second round pick in April. His size is still an issue, but if he goes to a zone coverage team he has proven that he can be a very productive player.

4/16 Update: Wake Forest's Pro Day and the NFL Combine did not go that well for Smith. His numbers were not that great and his lack of size is a big issue. He needed to blow away scouts with his physical abilities and he failed to do that. That will almost certainly keep Smith out of the first round, but he should be gone before the end of the first day of the draft.

http://www.fftoolbox.com/nfl_draft/profile_display.cfm?prospect_id=1682

While Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins deserves the recognition he has received as the top senior cornerback in the country, Smith might just be the most underrated. What Smith lacks in size, he more than makes up for in pure athleticism, demonstrating the quick feet and straight-line speed to cover any receiver in the country.

Just as important, Smith is fearless on the field, routinely coming up to support the run. A natural playmaker, Smith left Wake Forest as the ACC's career leader with 21 interceptions. This penchant for the big play translated onto the practice field at the Senior Bowl, where Smith intercepted passes in front of hundreds of scouts on each of the first three days of work.

As dynamic a playmaker as Smith is, however, the reality is there are very few 5-foot-9 cornerbacks starting in the NFL. Smith's small stature could push him far enough down the board to the point where he is ultimately a steal.

Positives: Excellent ball skills, closing on the ball quickly and watching it into his hands. Can adjust to ball over his shoulder. Able to return interceptions for significant yardage. Very good speed to stay with receivers down the sideline, along with fluid hips and excellent quickness to handle short-area responsibilities. Reads the quarterback well, and can undercut throws to make a play. Very confident on an island, and won't back down even if giving up size to his opponent. Able to get position on receivers in order to cut off routes. Not shy about contact, and will attempt to wrap tackle in the open or cut if needed. Can close down the sideline on outside runs. Tries to strip the ball when part of a gang tackle. Got touches as a receiver on quick screens, and could be a return option. Negatives: Short with only an adequate build and strength. Gives up several inches in height to outside receivers who can take advantage of him in jump balls down the sideline and red-zone situations. Can get vertical quickly, but isn't strong enough to out-fight bigger receivers for the ball. Struggles to get off decent receiver run blocks in space. Not a great one-on-one open-field tackler. Best as a zone corner or in the slot, as he may have problems jamming physical receivers at the line of scrimmage.

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/alphonso-smith?id=80435

NFL.com's Jason La Canfora is reporting that the Broncos are actively shopping CB Alphonso Smith with the team reportedly looking for a 5ht Round pick in return.  That would be a huge fall for a player that the Broncos thought so highly of just a year ago.

Smith has received plenty of playing time this preseason, but the emergence of Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson, along with the siging of Nate Jones in the off-season has put Smith's future in Denver in serious doubt.  His time with the Broncos to date could easily be described in last night's game against the Vikings. 

A perfect microcosm of Smith's pro career, it saw flashes of brilliance - Smith had an interception and a fumble recovery - as well as poorly-timed lowpoints - Smith tripped and fell on Javon Walker's 63-yard touchdown reception, and Smith was called for an Illegal Contact penalty on a 3rd down play in the 4th Quarter that kept a Vikings drive alive.

http://www.milehighreport.com/2010/9/3/1668560/broncos-shopping-alphonso-smith

In summary all I can say is "Mayhewed". I am looking forward to watching him grow as a Lion, hopefully into an all pro nickle back, he certainly has the potential and tools to do it.