Ainias Smith Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Prospect

Ainias Smith Texas A&M Wide Receiver #0

Measurements

5’10” / 190 lbs

Ainias Smith 40 time: 4.45 (Estimated)

Player Profile

Ainias Smith is a former three-star recruit out of Fort Bend Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas. Smith was a three-year varsity letterman for Fort Bend Dulles and put up some incredible numbers. According to MaxPreps, Smith played a total of 28 games and racked up a total 1,758 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns. Not only was he an efficient wide receiver in high school, he was also an efficient running back. Throughout his career at Fort Bend, he also rushed for 1,232 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. Having the ability to be this versatile so early in his football career is what makes him a special talent. This versatility is exactly what he has brought to the Aggies. 

During his sophomore season at Texas A&M, Smith played that plug and play role that he was used to in high school. It seemed to work for the Aggies in the long run because that season he caught a total of 43 passes for 564 yards and 6 receiving touchdowns. Not only that, he also ran the ball 49 times for 293 yards and 4 touchdowns. 

So far this season, Ainias’ efficiency has gone down compared to last year. He has played a total of 12 games and racked up a total of 535 yards and only 26 yards were rushing. He also only has 6 touchdowns on the year. With that being said, he was a primary reason why A&M were able to defeat Alabama. In this game, Smith caught a total of 6 passes for a total of 85 yards and 2 touchdowns. Having a player like Smith who can step up when it matters the most is very important in the NFL. 

Ainias Smith Strengths

Elusiveness

With Smith standing at 5’10” and only 190 lbs., it allows him to make defenders miss regularly. Part of the reason why I have fallen in love with Smith’s game over the past few years is because of his elusiveness. When watching film from his past 3 seasons, I started to realize how far his game has come. His freshman year, he played about the same amount, he just got less touches because he wasn’t established yet. In the Academy Sports Outdoors Texas Bowl, Smith saw a pretty good amount of snaps and made the most of it. Smith caught only 2 passes for 13 yards and also ran the ball for 54 yards in 7 attempts. In A&M’s game against Alabama in 2020, he contributed to half of their points. In this game he put up a total of 123 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. He also was able to rush for 29 yards in only 5 attempts.
Stats aren’t the only reason why I think Smith has a future in the NFL.

Versatility

Ainias Smith has been a key part of Texas A&M’s offense since he has stepped foot on campus. I think a key reason why this is the case is because of his ability to play both running back and wide receiver. Not only is this a big reason why he has been so successful, I also believe that is why scouts have fallen in love with his game. 

When watching his 2020 film, I became very impressed with his ability to keep the defense on their toes. He was able to do this by lining up everywhere you can imagine on the field. Jimbo Fisher really took advantage of this in 2020. When watching the game against Alabama, it was hard to keep an eye on where Smith was lined up on the field. One play he would be lined up in the backfield to give Isaiah Spiller a break, the next play he would be lined up in the slot. I may be a little biased here, but I personally love when players are versatile and can keep a defense on their toes. Another reason why he is so effective for the Aggies is because he is also very dangerous when in motion. When he is in motion, the defense has no choice but to focus on him because he is so fast and shifty. More times than not a defense would pick him up which would leave the field open. If the ball was handed off to Smith, he will punish that defense.  

Athleticism

Smith’s overall athleticism is what makes him such a threat when he is on the field. Although he isn’t one of the best route runners in the nation, his speed definitely helps. One of my favorite routes I like to see him run is a comeback route. I love to watch him run this route because he can beat the defender right off the snap. When the defender finally catches up, he slams on the brakes and cuts back towards the line of scrimmage. Although this doesn’t result in many yards after the catch, it is usually good enough for a first down. 

Hands

When you are a wide receiver you need to have good hands to be successful. Smith takes this to the next level, when he makes a catch it is like he is catching a raw egg. To put this into more technical terms, he moves his hands with the ball. This is a great ability to have because the ball will rarely bounce off his hands. 

Ainias Smith Weaknesses

Size

As I noted earlier, Smith’s size allows him to easily get around defenders, but it also hurts him in many aspects of his game. The biggest part of his game that it impacts is his ability to break tackles and power through contact. When watching his film, I realized more often than not Smith would strictly use his elusiveness to keep the play alive. Although playing to your strengths is not a bad thing, after a while if you don’t mix it up you can become predictable. Although he is a smaller receiver/running back, he can still play a lot bigger than his size. An example of a wide receiver who has been very successful with this in the past is Odell Beckham Jr. With this being said, I don’t think that Smith is going to be a vertical threat like Odell. I do think, however, that Smith should look at what he has done and include that in his game. 

Another aspect of his game that his size negatively impacts is his ability to hold onto the ball through contact. I understand that it is very difficult to do this in the first place. With that being said, you need to be able to take a hit when you first catch the ball. 

Field Vision

When watching his snaps in the backfield, I realized that he struggles to find open lanes in the trenches. This is a weakness for someone who could be used as a plug and play guy for any NFL team. This observation leads me to think that Smith will be a wide receiver in the NFL. This is similar to the transition that Kadarius Toney has made from college to the NFL. In college, Toney was a versatile threat just like Smith but has made the primary switch to wide receiver. 

Ainias Smith Draft Stock

For a player like Ainias Smith, it can be difficult to predict where he will go in the NFL draft. If I was a GM of an NFL team, I would feel comfortable taking Ainias Smith in the 5th round. 

Ainias Smith NFL Player Comparison

The player that Smith reminds me of Kadarius Toney. However, Ainias Smith has a lot of developing to do before he gets to the same level as Toney. He is also somewhat similar to fellow 2022 NFL Draft hopeful Khalil Shakir.

Final Thoughts

Smith has had a very successful career for the Aggies and I think that can easily translate to the NFL if he plays to his strengths. The skills that I think will translate the best are his athleticism and elusiveness. This will translate well to the NFL because you cannot really teach athleticism and elusiveness, you can only improve upon it. 

Ainias Smith Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis