Ito Smith

Last season was tough for Smith. A concussion knocked him out Week 3 against the Colts, then he suffered a second one Week 7 against the Rams, and the subsequent neck issues sidelined him for the rest of the year. He was effective with his limited touches before being shut down, but the sample was too small to draw any real conclusions. Smith has a reasonably well-rounded skill set and runs with surprising power for a small back, but he doesn't have breakaway speed or electric moves in the open field. With the Falcons swapping out Devonta Freeman for Todd Gurley as their lead back this offseason, Gurley's ongoing knee problems open the possibility of Smith finding his way to a lead role. But in the event the new starter went down, a committee likely would emerge between Smith, Brian Hill and Qadree Ollison.

Another injury-plagued season for Devonta Freeman pushed Smith into a fairly significant role in his rookie campaign, but the jury's still out on whether he can handle a consistent workload in the NFL. In many ways a discount version of Freeman, the Southern Mississippi product stumbled to 3.5 YPC once he began to see regular snaps Week 4, and he didn't distinguish himself through the air either, managing just 4.8 yards per target. Smith does run with some power (for a 195-pound back) and was a productive receiver in college, but a lack of speed or elusiveness limits his upside. New offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter preferred bulkier running backs in Tampa Bay, but with Tevin Coleman gone to San Francisco, there will at least be more snaps and touches available. Smith needs to show improvement in his second season to take advantage, especially after the addition of the much larger Qadree Ollison in the fifth round of the draft.

The Falcons' front office might have experienced some deja vu when it drafted Smith in the fourth round this year. At 5-9, 195, Smith's scouting report reads similarly to that of the team's 2014 fourth-round pick, one Devonta Freeman. Much like his new teammate, Smith would be typecast as a passing-down specialist in many organizations due to his small stature and natural receiving skills, even though he shows surprising power in his running thanks to a low pad level and a strong lower body. What he lacks is Freeman's elusiveness, as Smith doesn't quite have the footwork or agility to set up would-be tacklers for bad angles or ugly whiffs. Even if injuries to Freeman or Tevin Coleman were to open snaps for the rookie, it's hard to image he'd take full advantage of his opportunity the way Freeman once did. If he does get his chance, though, Smith's overall profile is a good fit for Atlanta's scheme.