Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
Could a meeting of Shi Smith and Deebo Samuel be on the horizon? The San Francisco 49ers spoke to newcomer Gamecock, via TheState.com. Smith imagines it will be a three-day selection in the next draft. The 49ers have already selected South Carolina players on two consecutive calls – Samuel and defense striker Javon Kinlaw.
Smith would love to once again be a teammate with Samuel, who helped mentor the 1.5m tall, 190 pound receiver while he prepared for the draft. In fact, the two have been talking to each other regularly since Samuel left high school after the 2018 season. Smith and Samuel have been teammates for two seasons, and the first has thanked the second for his help since then.
“He kind of put me under his wing as his little brother,” said Smith before his professional day. “Deebo and I have a very good relationship. Talk to him twice a week, almost every week, whether it’s about football, money, things like that.”
Smith talked to the 49ers’ scouts during the week leading up to his training and may have increased his stock with a solid exit.
Bowl senior executive director Jim Nagy, who was present on Wednesday, timed Smith at 4.43 and 4.47 seconds in his 40-yard run.
Official pro-day results for @GamecockFB WR Shi Smith. We hardly talked enough about Smith in this year’s deep slot group.
HT 5094
WT 186
Hand 9 1/2
Arm 31 7/8 👀
Wing 75 5/8
40-yard 4.43 / 4.47 (NFL scout ⏱) 👀
VJ 36.0
BJ 10-3
SS 4.20
3C 6.83 👀 pic.twitter.com/ubJ1Q451rx– Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) March 24, 2021
“… Deebo kind of helped me with little things, just telling me about my attitude and things like that, I should work on it a little bit,” added Smith. “And then just football tips, which I need to improve – release, block, things like that. So, he was very useful.”
Smith recorded 57 receptions for 633 yards with four touchdowns in nine games last season. He has some kick-return experience, accumulating 263 return yards in 12 hits (21.9 average) in 2019.
The 22-year-old receiver received some advice from Samuel on one aspect of his game. The 49ers wideout is no stranger to a bit of small talk in the field, but he learned to keep it under control after moving to the professional level. Samuel warns that the newcomer must do the same.
“I just have an explosive temper,” said Smith. “So I get a little warm. This is just one of the things I need to work on.”
Smith recorded 174 receptions for 2,204 yards with 13 touchdowns in his four seasons with the Gamecocks. The receiver feels that he has the same big play ability as Samuel and can make things happen as soon as he has the ball in his hands.
“This is like athletic ability,” said Smith. “As soon as I get it, all my athletic ability comes into play, so we can compare.”
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