Donovan Smith, QB Houston: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Smith was a three-star recruit from Frenship High School in Wolfforth, Texas in the class of 2020

Houston Cougars quarterback Donovan Smith projects as a developmental, Day 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has ideal size and throws with excellent velocity on the move. Smith’s ability to create off-platform is impressive and should attract a lot of attention from scouts.

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Donovan Smith, QB Houston: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior quarterback from Las Vegas, Nev.

Background: Smith was a three-star recruit from Frenship High School in Wolfforth, Texas in the class of 2020. He was the No. 890 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 850 for On3.com. Smith was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He played at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nev. prior to his senior season. Smith transferred from Texas Tech to Houston for the 2023 season. As a high school senior, he completed 212 passes out of 328 attempts for 3,114 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 11 games. Smith also ran for 489 yards and 14 touchdowns on 96 carries. He spent time at wide receiver as a junior, catching 49 passes for 806 yards and eight touchdowns. Smith was born on Oct. 27, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Shoulder surgery prevented him from playing in 2020, shoulder soreness from an AC joint sprain in 2022

Awards: N/A

Pros: Good body armor for a mobile QB, comfortable throwing on the run and off-platform, rolls out and extends plays, scrambles to extend plays instead of scrambling to run, spins away from pressure, level of ability to throw on the run separates him from other QBs, quick throwing motion, velocity pops when he steps into throws, throws frozen ropes to the sideline, fits the ball into tight windows, knows when to dial down velocity and apply touch, flashes of layering the ball between the second and third level

Cons: Enters 2024 with one full season of starting experience, four fumbles in each of the past two seasons, when looking downfield doesn’t always recognize interior pressure closing in, inconsistent awareness of blindside pressure, needs quicker decision making when facing pressure up the middle, eyes give away intentions, stares down routes, easy to read for defenders looking to undercut his throws to the sideline, stops feet in the pocket sometimes, some awkward lead foot placement on throws, throws sideways across his body instead of resetting his feet, throws while fading away in the pocket, inconsistent ball placement, low release leads to low throws, low throws and throws behind the receiver over the MOF on short to intermediate looks, needs to lead receivers on crossers more often, could add some touch to short crossers, several high throws his targets need to jump for when wide open, limited anticipatory throws, arm strength doesn’t match velocity, awareness of lurking safeties over the top on deep routes, too willing to take on double coverage, mobile but not twitchy or highly explosive, speed is good for his size but not great, caught from behind by edge rushers, not going to make many defenders miss in space

Overview: Smith has impressive size with good body armor for a quarterback who runs a decent amount. He separates himself from other college quarterbacks with his comfort level and ability to throw on the move. Smith excels at creating off-platform and throwing on the run. He spins away from pressure in the pocket and rolls out to extend plays. The Texas Tech transfer scrambles to extend plays instead of scrambling to simply run. He has a quick throwing motion that allows him to get the ball out while under pressure. The velocity on Smith’s passes pops when he steps into throws. His passes to the sideline are frozen ropes, and he has the velocity to fit the ball into tight windows. He needs to take a little zip off his throws on short crossing routes, but he generally knows when to dial back the velocity and apply touch. Smith started showing flashes of layering the ball between the defense’s second and third levels in 2023. The Nevada native throws a pretty, catch-able deep ball with excellent touch. His touch really stood out on a more than 40-yard 9-route that hit his wide receiver in stride against Texas (2023). He also had a nice 35-yard touch pass to an over route in first quarter against Texas Tech (2023). Unfortunately, Smith’s arm strength might not match his velocity and touch. He underthrew a 45-yard pass against Texas and a 50-yard pass against UTSA this past season. His footwork didn’t help those throws, but it appears that his arm falls short of elite. The former three-star recruit sometimes misses incoming pressure from the interior when he’s busy surveying deep routes downfield. He’s also inconsistent sensing blindside pressure. Smith must make quicker, safer decisions when dealing with pressure up the middle. Right now, he takes too many sacks and puts the ball in harm’s way. Smith’s eye discipline is still in its developmental stages. He tips off defenders by staring down routes, which creates the possibilities for passes being batted at the line of scrimmage or intercepted downfield. Smith looked more comfortable operating in the pocket in 2023 than 2022, but he sometimes stops his feet mid-play. His front foot takes some awkward angles when planting to throw. He often ends up bringing his arm across his body during throws because his feet are set up incorrectly when he goes to throw. There are examples of Smith fading away on throws in the pocket, causing the ball to hang and arrive behind the receiver. His ball placement is very inconsistent. A few low releases lead to low throws, but Smith’s velocity also causes the ball to sail high on some attempts. He suffers from low throws and throws behind receivers on short and intermediate routes working across the middle of the field. Smith needs to lead receivers more often and show more anticipation as a passer. He puts too much faith in his arm and challenges double teams more than he should. Smith’s awareness of lurking safeties on deep throws is questionable. The redshirt senior is mobile, but he’s not twitchy or explosive. His speed is good for his size, but edge rushers catch him from behind. It appears unlikely that Smith will create a lot of yards after contact in the open field.

Overall, Smith is a traits-based developmental quarterback with good size, the ability to create off-platform, and eye-catching velocity, but his inexperience shows itself in his footwork, eye discipline, ball placement, and his decision making. Entering 2024, Smith is a Day 3 flier but could become a borderline top 100 pick if he takes a significant jump as a redshirt senior.  

Role & Scheme Fit: Semi-mobile quarterback in a vertical passing offense

Round Projection: Late Fifth to Early Sixth Round

Size: 6'5", 241 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 03-02-24