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2018 NFL Draft: 49ers options to replace NaVorro Bowman at inside linebacker

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: NaVorro Bowman #53 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - SEPTEMBER 12: NaVorro Bowman #53 of the San Francisco 49ers reacts after a play against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on September 12, 2016 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Cameron Smith #35 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 09: Cameron Smith #35 of the USC Trojans warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 9, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Junior — 6-foot-2, 245 pounds

Cameron Smith Defense & Fumbles Table
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Def Def Def Def Def Fumb Fumb
Year School Conf Class G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg TD PD FR FF
*2015 USC Pac-12 FR 10 45 33 78 1.0 1.0 3 122 40.7 1 3 1 0
*2016 USC Pac-12 SO 13 45 38 83 7.0 1.0 0 0 0 4 1 1
2017 USC Pac-12 JR 6 19 27 46 6.0 0.5 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career USC 109 98 207 14.0 2.5 3 122 40.7 1 7 3 1

Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 10/13/2017.

Unlike Kendall Joseph, the 6-foot-2 Cameron Smith has an ideal stature to handle the physicality of the middle linebacker position.

A Northern California native, Smith isn’t quite the tackling machine Joseph is. But he does offer a greater array of physical traits that make him look more like a true linebacker prospect.

Perhaps this is why CBS Sports lists him a day-two target, possibly even squeezing into the latter end of Round 1.

Here’s what our friend John Dove at With the First Pick had to say about him:

"Cameron Smith is a heady football player who obviously spends a lot of time in the film room. He recognizes plays pre-snap and then quickly attacks after the snap. Smith is a naturally instinctual player who can make reads on the fly. This is an explosive athlete who can cover a lot of ground. He has quick-twitch ability which allows him to close on the ball carrier. It also comes in to play when Smith is asked to rush the quarterback. He’s highly effective as a blitzer thanks to this burst and his snap awareness."

This skill set is pretty close to what the 49ers would like to have and, in addition, the rationale for letting NaVorro Bowman go. Bowman’s coverage skills waned in recent years, and it appears as if Smith possesses those traits.

Targeting Smith in Round 2 might not be a bad idea.