Terell Smith’s time to shine

Schmitz is a possible first rounder and widely considered the best center in the draft. The other three Gopher alums are expected to be later round picks. But Terell Smith could change that on Friday afternoon when defensive backs are put through the drills portion of the combine.

Smith is a long 6’1″, 215 lbs and he’s an athletic freak. He’s going to score off the charts in many of the exercises he’s put through. That includes the 40-yard dash. Latest rumors around town have Terell running under 4.40 seconds.

A name to watch this week is @GopherFootball CB Terrell Smith. There’s a feeling around town he could run a 4.35 – 4.40 40-yard dash.

Asked an #NFL Executive his thumbnail; “That kid is really, really fast.”

At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, Smith’s an #NFLDraft sleeper … pic.twitter.com/8W041cERNV

— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) March 2, 2023

Career highs and lows at Minnesota

For Terell Smith, it’s never been about talent or skill set. It’s been about putting all of his knowledge, experience and athleticism together on the football field. Smith showed promise early in his college career, logging 573 snaps as a freshman in 2018. His 69.3 PFF grade that season promised a bright future.

But the Georgia native struggled to stay on the field for the next few seasons, as the Gophers defense got better under Joe Rossi and more talent accumulated in the secondary. Over the next three years combined (2019-2021), Terell Smith failed to reach the snap count he did as a freshman alone.

In 2022, though, Smith put it all back together, proving to Fleck, Rossi and NFL scouts that, not only does he have the size, strength and athleticism to be an elite cornerback, but he has the work ethic and football acumen too.

He logged career highs in snaps (598), PFF Grade (80.9) and interceptions (2) and allowed a completion percentage of just 58.5% while holding QB’s to a 68.2 passer rating when thrown at. It was the type of season Smith needed if he was going to be drafted this offseason.

That growth on the football field has given Terell Smith an opportunity to be one of the biggest standouts at the combine this week. Now, he just has to take advantage.

????2023 NFL Combine CB Preview????

Projected top performers using our In-Game Athleticism (IGA) Score as a proxy:

1. Eli Ricks 99.2
2. Julius Brents 98.3
3. Terell Smith 96.4
4. Lance Boykin 94.6
5. Garrett Williams 92.3#ReelAnalytics pic.twitter.com/RyRtWeSqBK

— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) February 28, 2023

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Last week, six former Gophers participated in the three recognized NFL prospect bowls. On Wednesday, it was announced that four of those U of M football standouts — (C) John Michael Schmitz, (CB) Terell Smith, (S) Jordan Howden and (RB) Mohamed Ibrahim — received invites to the upcoming draft combine (Feb. 28 – Mar. 6).

Note: Four #Gophers have been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis Feb. 28-March 6: center John Michael Schmitz, cornerback Terell Smith, safety Jordan Howden and tailback Mo Ibrahim.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) February 8, 2023

John Michael Schmitz and Mohamed Ibrahim vs NFL Combine

John Michael Schmitz can continue to separate himself from the rest of the center class with a good combine. It could be the difference between being a late-1st/early-2nd round pick or falling into the 3rd. But knowing what he did at the Senior Bowl, I wouldn’t expect a regression in Indianapolis.

It’ll be interesting to see where Mohamed Ibrahim ranks in many of the drills he’ll be run through, compared to other running back prospects. Everyone knows what he’s done as a Gopher and the film speaks for himself.

What draft experts believe will hold Mo back, come April, are (a) his age [almost 25] and (b) his athletic measurables. If Mo can change some minds by running faster, jumping higher and moving quicker than scouts expect, he could jump from a late-round/undrafted type prospect, up to an early day-3 guy.

Minnesota 2023 RB Mohamed Ibrahim has come back from an Achilles tear like few running backs in recent memory.

Ibrahim ranks 5th in FBS with 1,261 rushing yards, and 4th in fantasy points with an average of 27.2 FPPG in 2022.

Here are 12 of his best runs against Northwestern: pic.twitter.com/lgtRo41EIA

— Eric Froton (@CFFroton) November 16, 2022

Jordan Howden and Terell Smith vs NFL Combine

Jordan Howden and Terell Smith are currently projected as late-round/undrafted prospects. They too could see their stocks rise significantly with good showings at the combine. Terell Smith, who was one of the biggest standouts at the East/West Shrine Bowl, is an athletic specimen so he’s a guy to watch when the pads come off and underwear goes on.

Omitted from the roster in Indianapolis, out of those who received invites to one of either the NFLPA, Shrine or Senior Bowls last week, were (QB) Tanner Morgan and (EDGE) Thomas Rush. Both guys had their moments last week but couldn’t make the NFL Combine cut.

Tanner Morgan and Thomas Rush Miss Combine Cut

At the East/West Shrine Bowl, Morgan seemed to throw the ball well during the week but went just 3 of 7 for 33 yards and 1 interception on game day. Rush was the only Gopher representative at the NFLPA Bowl. He stood out at practice and grabbed two sacks in the game.

Missing out on the combine doesn’t mean Morgan and Rush won’t make an NFL roster, or practice squad, come fall. As mentioned before, their route just became a little more difficult.

That won’t be a problem for either guy, though. When you’re baptized and raised in PJ Fleck’s Row The Boat culture, you have your oar ready for all waters. It wouldn’t surprise me to see all six of these guys making money in The League next season.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan