The Texans take a defensive back out of USC.
It looks like Nick Caserio is cooking tonight, he’s got another trade in the third round! The Texans are sending picks #102 and #142 to the Minnesota Vikings for picks #97 and #187:
Check that on the trade. #Eagles traded with the #Falcons at 96. Meanwhile, the #Texans trade 102, 142 to #Vikings for 97, 187.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 26, 2025
And with the 97th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans select: CB Jaylin Smith, USC.
H-TOWN BOUNDDDD ️ pic.twitter.com/HLBSFatDIw
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 26, 2025
It looks like the Nick Caserio/DeMeco Ryans braintrust is starting to find its favorite places to shop for defensive backs! This is the second year in a row the Texans have used a day-two pick on an atheltic defensive back from USC, with last year’s being the rookie phenom S Calen Bullock. Although, Smith is not nearly the athlete Bullock is, he makes up for it with experience.
Smith is a multi-position, physical cornerback that has started at both outside and inside in his collegiate career. He’s a bit of a controversial prospect in this draft due to his size, or lack thereof, but his production in his three-years starting at USC cannot be denied.
IT’S UP pic.twitter.com/pyBTkc51yj
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 26, 2025
His 2024 Statistics at USC are:
- 10 Games
- 59 Tackles
- 4 Tackles for Loss
- 2 Interceptions
- 2 Pass Deflections
- 82.6 PFF (80.1 RDEF, 82.5 COV)
His Combine results are:
- Height: 5’ 10 ½”
- Weight: 187 lbs.
- Arm: 29 ⅞”
- Hand 9 ¼”
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.45s
- 10-Yard Split: 1.6s
- Vertical Jump: 32.5”
Here’s what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say about Jaylin Smith
Three-year starter with measurables and ball production that could leave teams lukewarm on his NFL prospects. Smith plays with a narrow backpedal, glitchy transitions and sluggish closing burst from off-man coverage, but he is much clingier from press-man. He might not have the play strength, length or top-end speed to be reliable on an island outside, though. The 2024 tape was better and he does offer some inside/outside flexibility, but he might be fighting for a roster spot throughout his career.
Jaylin Smith has the instincts and the will to make big plays in open space. He routinely disrupted screens while at USC, and his 2024 season showed that he has some flexibility. In his final collegiate season, he started playing outside cornerback and even though it wasn’t pretty to start, he improved with time. He’s not tall, at all, and that size is a major demerit to his draft profile. But, if he can continue this impressive upward trajectory, he could be another talented back in Ryans’ crowded backfield. This pick can certainly be seen as a reach, but Smith’s impressive Senior Bowl performance gave him some extra attention. Only time will tell if this really was a reach.
USC CB Jaylin Smith is probably headed towards a future in the slot in the NFL but it’s a role I think he will do quite well in given his physical play style. 2nd most run stops in the class and it shows up on tape. Also has a good amount of special teams experience over the last… pic.twitter.com/oqKp03odsi
— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) April 20, 2025
What do you think? Was Jaylin Smith on your draft board, or did this catch you off guard? It definitely caught me off guard, but Caserio loves his cornerbacks, so I can’t say I wasn’t expecting one of these players to drafted eventually. Let us know what you think down in the comments below!