Smith-Wade originally committed to Wyoming before changing his mind and signing with Washington State prior to signing day in 2020. 

Thickly built slot corner who is smooth and fluid athletically. Finished last season with 36 tackles and 6 passes defended. He has 3 interceptions in his career. All three were in 2022. 

Smith-Wade has played mostly on the outside in college but profiles as more of a nickel, dime corner in the NFL. 

Here is my scouting report on Chau Smith-Wade

Chau Smith-Wade, CB, 5-9 184, Washington State

Man to Man Coverage: Smooth in man coverage. Smith-Wade flips his hips with ease and can stay in phase. Accelerates on vertical routes and maintains hip position. 

Zone Coverage: Smooth and fluid in his drops. Gets his hands on receivers and funnels them to help with ease. Anticipates routes well and can read and break on receiver angles. Does a good job of reading quarterbacks. Can be slow recognizing multiple route concepts in an area. 

Closing Quickness: Smith-Wade has good feet. He diagnoses route breaks and can break on the ball when it is thrown, especially in zone coverage. 

Key & Diagnose: Smart and instinctive but he will gamble at times and give up long gainers and big plays. 

Lateral Pursuit: Moves well laterally and has good closing speed. Takes proper pursuit angles and plays within the scheme. 

Tackling: Undersized and struggles in this area at times. Also struggles to detach from blocks. Smith-Wade is willing. He will wrap up and drag ball carriers but his lack of size affects him as a tackler. 

Pass Drop/Pass Coverage: As previously mentioned, Smith-Wade is fluid mover who can adjust in space, flip his hips and make plays on the ball. 

Hands: Breaks up passes with ease but doesn’t attack the ball the way he should. Struggles at times over the top in contested catch situations. 

Final Report: Smith-Wade reminds me of Myles Bryant. He is not as athletic but he is a player who could find his way on the roster as a late round pick/undrafted free agent. The Patriots met with Smith-Wade at the Senior Bowl. 

Draft Range: 6th-7th Round