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Buffalo Bills: 4 South Carolina prospects to target in 2021 NFL Draft

By Kendall Mirsky

Jul 25, 2019; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula (right) and General Manager Brandon Beane (left) watch training camp at St. John Fisher. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 25, 2019; Pittsford, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula (right) and General Manager Brandon Beane (left) watch training camp at St. John Fisher. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 24: Shi Smith #13 of the South Carolina Gamecocks runs with the ball as Maurice Hampton Jr. #14 of the LSU Tigers defends of the South Carolina Gamecocks during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 24: Shi Smith #13 of the South Carolina Gamecocks runs with the ball as Maurice Hampton Jr. #14 of the LSU Tigers defends of the South Carolina Gamecocks during a game at Tiger Stadium on October 24, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

The third South Carolina prospect that the Buffalo Bills could be interested in is wide receiver Shi Smith. Smith is on the slightly smaller side for the wide receiver position measuring at about 5’9″ and 186 pounds at the South Carolina Pro Day.

Prior to re-signing Isaiah McKenzie, I personally viewed Smith as a potential replacement to McKenzie. During his four years playing for South Carolina, Smith primarily operated out of the slot but also had some production as a boundary receiver. He didn’t have a lot of use as a gadget weapon on offense, but his physical skill set lends itself to that kind of role and more. Additionally, Smith has experience returning kicks during his time at South Carolina. Smith had 21 total kick returns in his four year career and wasn’t the most consistent, but did manage to average over 21 yards per kick return.

Smith is coming off his most productive season in terms of receptions and if it wasn’t for a reduced season due to covid, he could’ve put up some truly impressive senior season numbers. Instead, in just 9 games played Smith recorded 57 receptions for 633 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Smith is currently projected to be a day three pick, but he performed well during his week of practices at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and at South Carolina’s Pro Day. These two performances could wind up bolstering Smith’s draft stock. If he’s still around in the 5th round, the Buffalo Bills could draft him with one of their two picks in that round, bringing more competition at the wide receiver position. Additionally, he could compete with McKenzie for the kick returner role.

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