DQ Smith displays his strength at Gamecocks’ Pro Day. Will he get NFL opportunity?
DQ Smith had a goal to make a splash during his NFL Pro Day at South Carolina. He was able to do that the right way.
The Gamecocks safety turned some heads Tuesday when he benched 225 pounds 22 times during the opening part of the three-hour workout in front of NFL personnel, including Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio.
Doing that many reps is a rarity for his position. At the NFL Combine last month (at which Smith wasn’t invited), the best mark by a safety prospect (18) was Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman, who is a possible first-round pick in next month’s draft. Smith’s teammate Jalon Kilgore, another possible early-round selection, did 16 reps at the NFL Combine.
“That was my goal, to get over 20, and I finally did that today. It was exceptional,” Smith said.
Smith also ran a 4.34 in the shuttle drill, which would rank third-best among combine participants, just behind Kilgore. The 6-foot, 206-pounder isn’t getting the pre-draft attention that teammates Brandon Cisse (possible first-round pick) and Kilgore are getting, but he is used to flying under the radar.
Smith wasn’t a heralded prospect coming out of Spring Valley High School in Columbia. He played quarterback his entire career but opted for a new position at safety and to play for USC, instead of being a signal-caller at Georgia Southern. When he took part in the school’s signing day ceremony in February of 2022, USC didn’t list him as one of the Gamecocks’ signees for that class.
The original plan was for Smith to “blueshirt,” a process that allows South Carolina to put him on scholarship in August and count him toward the next class. But a scholarship opportunity opened up, and he was an immediate starter from his freshman year.
Smith started 45 of his 48 career games and finished with 228 tackles with five interceptions and 11 pass breakups. He was one of the three players USC took to Southeastern Conference media days last summer.
USC defensive coordinator Clayton White, speaking Monday with reporters, called Smith was one of his favorite players all-time to coach.
“Coming in, I just wanted to learn from the older guys. We had Cam Smith, Darius Rush. Just learning from them, picking their brains,” Smith said. “Then defensive backs coach (Torrian) Gray and Coach White. Once I started settling, it just came natural for me.”
Smith has been in Orlando the last three months getting ready for his Pro Day. He watched teammates like Smith, Rush and Emmanwori and O’Donnell Fortune take part in their Pro Days before going on to their professional careers.
Smith also has talked to guys like Emmanwori (Seattle Seahawks), Bam Martin-Scott and Xavier Legette (Carolina Panthers) and Marcellius Dial (New England Patriots) for advice in getting ready for the draft.
Now, he is hoping his path leads to the NFL.
“It is a surreal moment seeing all the guys who did it before me and finally come up here doing it myself. I am proud of myself for that,” Smith said. “I just wanted to come out here and do my best and give all glory to God.”
This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 9:08 AM with the headline "DQ Smith displays his strength at Gamecocks’ Pro Day. Will he get NFL opportunity?."
