Photo by Tony Walsh - Georgia Athletics

Height	Weight	Arm Length	Hand Size
5'11"	192 lbs.	31 1/8"	9 5/8"

40 Yard Dash	Bench Press	Vertical Jump	Broad Jump	3-Cone Drill	20 Yard Shuttle
4.62 Sec	15 Reps	33"	9'8"	N/A	N/A

Games	Tackles	Tackles for Loss	Sacks	Pass defended	Interceptions	Forced Fumbles	Touchdowns
43	132	6.0	1.0	10	6	1	1

Pros 

• High level football IQ.

• Expansive versatility at the safety position to line up all over back end of defense and play a multitude of positions.

 

• Was heavily relied upon in the secondary to ensure teammates are aware of assignment.

 

• Pre-snap diagnosis is exceptional. 

 

• Excellent movement in zone coverage with very few false steps.

 

• Covers his zip code with great twitchiness that allows him react quickly to throws.

 

• Takes great angles on throws that allow him to either impact receiver at full force to dislodge football as well as intercept pass and keep stride.

 

• Can come down and play man coverage in the nickel slot if need be.

 

• Can effectively press slot receivers and make their ability to separate from him difficult.

 

• Great footwork in man coverage allows him to mirror slot receiver effectively.

 

• Route recognition is excellent both at the safety and nickel corner which made him a great chess peice for the Georgia defense.

 

• Great ball skills with secure hands to make sure that when touches the football he comes away with it.

 

• Can level ball carriers and receivers crossing over the middle with vicious hits, causing them to often look for him on the field and lose focus.

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• Attacks the receivers hands when contesting catches while also creating massive collisions.

 

• Tremendous production for only two seasons of starting experience, despite 43 games duet conveyer belt of talent that Georgia has.

 

• High character player that has great leadership skills.

 

• Exceptional toughness.

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• Student of the game off the field

 

• 2x National Champion that played key role for defense.

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• Played and excelled in the SEC football under some of the brightest lights in college, showing that he isn't afraid of expectations or the moment.

Cons

• Average athleticism.

• Played on a defense with talent all over the roster.

• Size is concerning for his longevity with his rugged style of play.

• Can let up a bit when tackling, causing him to get trucked for extra yards.

• Bit of a dragger when making tackles.

• Pursuit speed is nothing special.

• Goes for the big hit on runners and receivers far too often rather than wrapping up and tackling.

• Doesn't go for the football enough when making tackles.

• Lacks top end speed to play single high.

• Lacks the power in his frame to effectively take on blocks without getting driven back. 

• Demolition crew of a defensive line helped open up holes in the trenches for him to run through rather than him weaving through traffic.

• Bigger receivers and tight ends have had success against strictly by using their size.

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• Arm length is just short enough for him to struggle batting away passes.

Overview

It's hard to grade some of these Georgia defenders after they have been dominating college football because while they are obviously talented individually they benefit and feed off of each other to a point where they simply thrive off of how well they mesh on the field and when you take them apart, a lot of time's they fail to replicate the production. Christopher Jones was an excellent safety on the back end of their defense that not only made plays but helped his fellow defensive backs by communicating offensive movements and informing them of potential plays which allowed him to maximize his potential in his specific role. If an NFL defensive coordinator is looking for a chess piece in their secondary that can line up and play anywhere on defense no questions asked, Christopher Smith certainly fits that need, but asking him to takeover and change a bad secondary could reveal deficiencies in his own game as well. If he can work his tackling ability and hit the track and field to improve his overall speed, he could be fixture in an NFL safety for years.