The Houston Texans already hit it out of the park last year, drafting USC football safety Calen Bullock. The former Trojan became a top safety in the NFL in his rookie season, the Texans could have another impactful rookie from USC this season in defensive back Jaylin Smith.
In his last season at USC, Jaylin Smith finished with 59 tackles, 4 TFLs, and 2 interceptions. In his Trojan tenure Smith lined up at just about every position in the secondary, making him extremely versatile in the NFL for the Texans.
At Texans Wire, Cole Thompson ranked Houston’s main training camp winners and losers so far. He mentioned Jaylin Smith as a winner. Here is Thompson’s breakdown of how Smith is turning heads in camp:
“There’s a good chance we won’t see much of Smith on defense, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been standing out in drills. The third-round pick from USC has worked drills at both safety and outside corner, but a majority of his snaps have come in the nickel position. On Saturday, he broke up a pass intended for Jayden Higgins. He also won his one-on-one battle against Collins during seven-on-seven drills. Right now, there’s no home for Smith. Maybe that’s promising since the Texans could have him line up anywhere in a pinch. Expect to see him play a significant amount of snaps on Saturday against the Vikings, often moving from the nickel to the boundary and maybe even some reps in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson role.”
With some guys currently banged up in the Houston secondary, this preseason will be a good opportunity for Jaylin Smith to carve out a role for himself. With former Trojan teammate Calen Bullock there to guide him, backed by a great development staff, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Smith can crack the Texans’ secondary rotation.
With his skills and hard work we could see him make plays for the Texans this season, filling in at multiple positions in the back end. The Texans struggled with injuries last year, most notably safety Jimmie Ward, who was consistently banged up. They lost Jalen Pitre for the entire season. A versatile player such as Smith would be very beneficial insurance if that happens again.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC Trojans are turning heads at Houston Texans training camp
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
