Draft Prospect Had ‘Uncomfortable’ Combine Meeting With Patriots

INDIANAPOLIS — Cam Smith believes he would love playing in the Patriots’ defense, but his pre-draft meeting with New England was not the most enjoyable experience.

The South Carolina cornerback prospect had a formal interview with the Patriots at the NFL Scouting Combine that he described as “intense” and even “uncomfortable.”

“It was very intense,” Smith said Thursday. “I kind of felt uncomfortable. I had to answer a lot of hard questions dealing with some of the stuff that I did in college. I just had to make sure that I answered those tough questions.”

The interview, which took place Wednesday night, was with cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino, one of the few Patriots assistants who traveled to Indianapolis for the combine. Smith said he also met with a member of New England’s player development staff earlier in the week.

Asked what made the meeting uncomfortable, Smith replied: “Just some of the questions I was asked.”

“Just trying to open up about myself,” he said. “I never really have opened up about myself, trying to talk to everybody and stuff like that. Just trying to open up and make sure everybody knows exactly who I am.”

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How well Smith answered those “hard questions” will influence whether the Patriots view him as a desirable draft target. From a skill set perspective, his aggressiveness and man-coverage abilities align with what New England traditionally has valued in its cornerbacks, though its defense has gravitated more toward zone in recent years.

Last month, Smith said in an interview with the Bleav Network that he’d love to play for the Patriots because of how they used players like Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson in the past.

“Bill (Belichick) likes to run — just with his track record with Stephon and J.C. Jackson — just having a top, predominant corner being out there locking up (receivers),” Smith said Thursday.

Smith also has a personal connection with Gilmore, a fellow South Carolina product whose four-year Patriots tenure included a Super Bowl title and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award.

“We train together a lot,” Smith said. “Our trainers kind of overlap, so I always get tips from him. And then him coming back to South Carolina all the time, I just come and rap it up with him.”

Smith, who was listed at 6 feet, 188 pounds in college, would fill a need for the Patriots. Their star-less cornerback group held up reasonably well this season, but it lacked height and length and struggled against elite wideouts. Top corner Jonathan Jones also is an impending free agent.

The highlight of Smith’s 2022 season was his role in limiting stud wideout prospect Jalin Hyatt to six catches for 65 yards in an upset win over Tennessee.

“I said, ‘Put me on him. I want that,’ ” said Smith, who shadowed Hyatt for much of that game. “That’s what I love to do.”

Many pre-combine projections had Smith pegged as a likely second-round pick, though that could change depending on how he and other corners test in Indy.