Chris Smith readies for Senior Bowl after strong Georgia career

Former Georgia safety Chris Smith is off to the NFL after a career that lasted five years in Athens. He helped the Bulldogs win two national titles, coming back for his COVID-year of eligibility after the first to make the second possible, and was named a team captain for the 2022 squad as he patrolled the back end of a stout defense. Smith will play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl next Saturday, February 4th, in Mobile, Ala. and sat down with The Draft Network to discuss his career, his hopes for the future and what he’s looking to show at the Senior Bowl.

“I’m excited to go out there and compete against great players from all over the nation. I’m going to get out there and learn new things from NFL coaches and other players in attendance,” Smith said. “I’m the ultimate competitor. I’m never going to reject an opportunity to compete. I’ll be seeing a lot of talents at the Senior Bowl that I didn’t necessarily see on a weekly basis. Obviously, I’m extremely used to playing against talent from the SEC, but I think there are a lot of excellent talents throughout the other conferences as well. There are a lot of great players that come from all walks of life in college football. I’m excited to see those players I might be less familiar with in Mobile.”

Smith was tabbed as the No. 6 safety by ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. on Wednesday. Those ahead of him include Alabama’s Brian Branch, Antonio Johnson from Texas A&M and players out of the Big Ten and ACC. Jammie Robinson and Sydney Brown, two of the players ahead of him in Kiper’s rankings, will be at the Senior Bowl too, as will Jatavius Martin, who Kiper has at No. 7 on his list of safeties. In being there, Smith wants to show NFL execs exactly what he’s made of.

“I’m looking to prove what everybody else is looking to prove (laughs), that I’m a great football player. I want to prove that I’m one of the best players in the 2023 NFL Draft. Hopefully, I’m successful in proving that,” Smith said. “I plan on building a ton of great connections in Mobile. I’m going to learn something about my future roles. I’m looking to prove something, but I’m also looking to learn. I look at this as a learning opportunity. It’s a great opportunity for me to showcase my skills.”

Smith played safety at Georgia but came to Athens as a cornerback. That’s something that Kirby Smart spoke about several times throughout Smith’s career as something that helped him out. Smith thinks so too.

“I played cornerback in high school. I dabbled at safety, but I was mostly a corner. Coming into Georgia, they felt like I was smart enough to learn a new position. They thought I had the skill set to transfer over to being a safety. It was a new position for me,” Smith said. “I was still getting some reps at cornerback during practice. In games, I was getting reps at nickel and at both safety positions. I just love focusing on hard work. That’s all I focus on. It wasn’t easy at first. I had to play a bunch of different positions. I just locked in and put my head down. I went to work. I asked plenty of questions. I think it added a ton of versatility to my game. I was able to play multiple positions in our defensive backfield. It definitely added a new wrinkle to my overall skill set. It’s a testament to the mentality I have for the game and how I attack every single day.”

Speaking of that time at Georgia, it’s clear that it’s something that Smith – a native of the Peach State – will always cherish. The memories made and relationships built have had an impact not only on Smith as a football player but also Smith as a person.

“This year, I was fortunate enough to be named a permanent team captain. That was special for me because, throughout the season, our coaches pick who our captains are. At the end of the season, your peers pick the team captains. To have the respect of my peers was the most important thing to me. My peers selected me to be a permanent team captain,” Smith said. “It meant so much to know my peers looked at me in that light. It’s something you always hope to achieve as a player. I’ve always looked forward to gaining the respect of my teammates. I wanted to be a great teammate. It’s definitely special.”

“My biggest takeaways will forever be the connections and brotherhood we built,” he continued. “I had a special bond with my teammates. We went through a lot together to win back-to-back National Championships. I’ll never forget those moments. The amount of hard work we put in, the trials and tribulations, the late nights, I’ll never forget it. To go back-to-back like we just did, it’s a testament to the amount of work we put in. It paid off for us at the end of the day.”