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With the 57th pick of Pride of Detroit's 2012 NFL mock draft, the Denver Broncos select Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. SmittyJ is serving as the Broncos' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
I wanted to pull the trigger on Trumaine Johnson and actually did until I realized that Smith was still on the board. I love what Smith will bring to the Broncos secondary, which includes former teammate David Bruton. Also, he will be joined at the safety position by Quinton Carter, Mike Adams and Rahim Moore.
Harrison is a hard-hitting safety who can make plays in the secondary and fill run lanes with his punishing hits. Playing both linebacker and safety in South Bend, he has an understanding of multiple positions, which should help him adjust to the next level smoother. At 6'2" and 213 lbs. Harrison is more of a run-stuffing safety but has some skills as a cover safety as well. Harrison plays very well downhill and will match up nicely with the physical play of today's tight ends, as well as wide receivers and backs.
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Check out the 2012 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.
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