59 Days Until Vikings Football: Will Cameron Smith Make the Team?

As we count down the days until the Vikings' opener against the Packers on September 13th, InsideTheVikings will be previewing every single player on the roster. The amount of days remaining corresponds with the jersey number of the player being examined on that day. Today is July 16th, and there are 59 days until kickoff for the 2020 regular season. That means it's time to start on the linebackers.

Countdown to Vikings-Packers on September 13th: 59 Days

Player Previews: Cameron Smith (No. 59, Linebacker)

College: USC
Drafted: 2019 fifth round (162nd overall)
NFL experience: One season
Age: 23 (Birthday was in March)
Size: 6'2", 235
2019 PFF grade: 77.4 (on just 33 snaps)
2019 stats: 8 tackles

After addressing the offensive side of the ball with each of their first four picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, the Vikings finally gave Mike Zimmer a defensive player in the fifth round. Rick Spielman used the 162nd overall pick on Cameron Smith, an intriguing linebacker prospect out of USC. That selection sparked a run of four defensive players in five picks, including a pair of players – Armon Watts and Kris Boyd – who could be in line for significant playing time this season.

Smith grew up in the Sacramento suburb of Granite Bay, CA. According to his USC bio, he "played youth football against eighth graders when he was in fourth grade." In high school, Smith was a four-star recruit who had offers from virtually the entire Pac-12, as well as schools like Wisconsin and Louisville. He ended up choosing USC, which has produced a great deal of NFL linebackers over the past decade.

Not many true freshmen are immediate starters at schools like USC. Smith was. He started at inside linebacker from Day 1 for the Trojans, and was one of the best freshman LBs in the country. In an October game against No. 3 Utah, Smith picked off three passes, returning them for a total of 122 yards. The second interception was a pick-six that gave USC a commanding two-touchdown lead before halftime.

Looking at USC LB Cameron Smith next. Smith has been a four year starter at USC and shows ability to sit in coverage. Smith had three interceptions in a game during his freshman season. He's an instinctive middle linebacker. pic.twitter.com/jVAKqICPsd
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) January 29, 2019

Smith missed the final few games of the season with an injury, but still finished with 78 tackles, three picks, and a sack in ten games. He was the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and a freshman All-American. Smith continued to get better, recording at least 80 tackles and seven tackles for loss in each of the next three seasons. As a junior, the first team All-Pac-12 selection put up 112 tackles, 11.5 TFLs, and his fourth career pick.

The production and experience were there for Smith, but questions about his athleticism were a major part of his evaluation as a prospect. His performance at the 2019 combine was a mixed bag. He shined in the vertical and broad jump, was merely decent in the short shuttle and 40-yard dash, and was shockingly bad in the bench press. Still, the total result was a strong Relative Athletic Score.

With pick 162 in the 2019 NFL Draft, the #Vikings select Cameron Smith, LB, Southern California.

Cameron Smith posted a Great #RAS with Good size, Good speed, Elite explosiveness, Good agility at the LB position. pic.twitter.com/xhudV1ldg7
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 27, 2019

So why did Smith fall to the latter part of the fifth round? For the most part, it has to do with the current state of the NFL. The league is getting more and more pass-happy, so the value of off-ball linebackers who can cover in space is constantly increasing. The three-interception game in 2015 aside, that's not a strength of Smith's game. His average speed and agility show up on tape, as he can struggle to change direction with quick running backs or even tight ends.

Where Smith does bring a ton a value is in the running game. He's a very smart, instinctive player who knows how to fill gaps and anticipate plays, which helped him record 25.5 tackles for loss between 2016 and 2018. Smith's timing in avoiding blockers and finding the ballcarrier is excellent, and he's also a very sure tackler. He plays with good toughness and is able to get off of blocks to make plays. But given his limitations in coverage, Smith may never be more than a base linebacker and special teams contributor who has to come off of the field on passing downs.

As a rookie, Smith didn't make the Vikings' initial 53-man roster. He spent most of the year on the practice squad, but was elevated to the active roster for two stints and appeared in five games. 23 of his 33 defensive snaps came in the regular season finale against the Bears, but he also played 52 snaps on special teams. Smith finished the year with eight tackles. It's a small sample size, but his 77.4 PFF grade was excellent. However, it's worth noting that 29 of his 33 defensive snaps were against the run, per PFF.

In 2020, Smith will be competing with a host of players to make the roster as the fourth or fifth linebacker. The Vikings have broken camp with five LBs in each of the past two years, though they did keep six in 2017. With Eric Kendricks, Anthony Barr, and Eric Wilson locked into the top three spots, that leaves six players vying for likely two spots (with one or two more potentially headed to the practice squad). Fourth-round rookie Troy Dye is probably the safest bet of that group to make the 53-man roster. Smith's competition for that final spot consists mainly of Ben Gedeon and former XFL star DeMarquis Gates, with UDFAs Jordan Fehr and Blake Lynch potentially also factoring into the equation.

It could come down to Smith and Gedeon. Both players have similar profiles as run-stoppings LBs with limitations in coverage. Gedeon has spent three years with the Vikings and has over 100 career tackles, but Smith might theoretically have more upside. Even if Smith does beat out players like Gedeon and Gates, it's hard to see a road to playing time outside of special teams unless one of the top three linebackers gets hurt.

Check out all of our Vikings 2020 season preview content right here.

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