Darius Rush, Cam Smith linked in their journey to be South Carolina’s next NFL DBs
Darius Rush and Cam Smith stood just off the 15-yard line on the south side of the Jerri and Steve Spurrier Indoor Practice Facility trading encouraging words.
The pair high-fived and smiled. They worked through stretches and talked about the coming drills with a handful of NFL scouts walking them through their Pro Day agendas. Both Rush and Smith had an ease about them. Something about working out in a facility where they’ve spent countless hours over the last four years has that effect.
Forget the clicking cameras, scouts from all 32 NFL teams and family and friends littering the sidelines. Rush and Smith were right at home alongside one another.
“It’s kind of like having my ‘ease buddy’ there the whole time,” Smith said. “He’s my road dog. He’s always with me.”
Rush and Smith aren’t exactly inseparable, but they may as well have been throughout the NFL Draft process.
The talented defensive back duo has spent the bulk of their time away from South Carolina in recent months working out together at the Exos training facility in Frisco, Texas. They also roomed together at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, sharing laughs and easing each other’s nerves through the rigmarole of interviews and workouts during their stay in Indianapolis.
That same comfort showed in Monday’s Pro Day, as they worked out alongside 11 former teammates under the watchful eye of well over 60 NFL scouts.
“That’s your support system,” Rush told The State. “Coming in, we both have our goals and we want to reach our goals. So to go out there and have him with me, knowing that he’s going to push me, to hold me accountable — I’ll do the same for him. And that allows us to make sure that we’re still 100% on what we’re doing.”
Rush has been a notable fast-riser during NFL Draft season. He drew rave reviews at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama last month for his work as a cover guy. He backed up that hype with a star showing at the combine, posting a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.
Monday was more of the same from Rush, who looked largely fluid in and out of his breaks, albeit a bit less quick than Smith. Still, he flashed the mitts that should make him an intriguing second- or third-round option for NFL teams when he snatched a back-shoulder, one-handed grab along the right sideline during cover drills.
“I shocked myself a little bit,” Rush said, smirking. “I looked at it and was like, ‘I got it?’ That’s me. I got that. I caught that. Displayed ball skills right there.”
Smith’s mock draft projections have varied widely heading into the tail end of draft season. He’s been pegged as high as the middle of the first round, but left a bit to be desired with his 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine two weeks ago. That said, Smith on Monday looked the part of the player who created all sorts of issues for opposing offenses during the 2022 season.
The former Westwood High standout was sneaky quick through his breaks and showed a steady ability to switch angles on a dime. He did slip twice during a handful of change-of-direction drills, but looked faster than Rush when running through more true cover drills.
“Definitely a lot more ease,” Smith said of working out in Columbia. “Just being at the crib, being (on a field) that you’ve been breaking off over the last four years. It’s kind of just being where my feet are.”
Rush and Smith are now likely headed their separate ways, for now, over the next few weeks. Each will have a handful of in-house visits with teams before the first round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
They’ll continue the USC program’s lineage of sending defensive backs to the NFL. Jaycee Horn (Carolina) and Israel Mukuama (Dallas) were both drafted two years ago, while Johnathan Joseph, D.J. Swearinger, Stephon Gilmore, Chris Culliver and Sheldon Brown are just a few of the former Gamecock DBs to find success in the pros.
The expectation is Smith and Rush will hear their names called sometime in the first three rounds. Should Smith land in the first round, he’d be the fourth Gamecock to be selected that high in the last six years.
If and when Rush and Smith team up again, perhaps they’ll room together once more.
“It wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Rush quipped of staying with Smith during the combine, tongue-in-cheek. “But it’s all good. Because we joked around. We laughed. We’re going to have a good time always.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2023 at 6:50 PM.
