Geno Smith appeared on radio in Kansas City Friday, saying that he sees himself going off the board before other quarterbacks, and wants to be the No. 1 overall pick.
Geno Smith wants to be No. 1 pick, talks NFL Combine
Geno Smith hopes his performance at the NFL Combine can cement his status as the best quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft, telling Kansas City radio station KSCP about his mentality in the run-up to the draft.
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There’s obviously a lot of chatter about Smith going first overall to Kansas City. The Chiefs need a quarterback -- they haven’t taken one in the first round since 1983, and Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn aren’t exactly cutting it -- and the Chiefs have the first opportunity to select.
But many draft experts don’t think there’s enough talent in this class to merit taking a quarterback first overall. Mel Kiper said that the Chiefs should wait until the second round for a quarterback and Todd McShay went so far as to say Friday that he didn’t have any graded in the first round. But for Smith, that’s just fire as he tries to hear his name first in April:
I don’t know what they’re missing. That hurts to hear that because of the work that I’ve put in, but they evaluate and they do their scouting reports just as anyone else does, a fan of the game does. Quite honestly that makes no difference as to what my career will be. Aaron Rodgers was picked later on in the draft; Tom Brady went in the seventh round. If anyone had any type of perfect formula then obviously those guys would have went higher and that’s what it comes down to. My goal is to be picked No. 1 overall but at the same time, wherever I get picked I’m going to come in with the same mentality, same goals in mind, so I’m not really worried about what anyone says because everyone has an opinion. I respect that. When I hear him say that it’s kind of a bit of added motivation for me because of how competitive I am, but it doesn’t really mean anything at all.
Smith also said he considers himself the best quarterback in the class (“that’s no disrespect to anyone”) and his decision to skip the Senior Bowl, but participate in throwing drills at the combine, something other potential top picks haven’t always done.
I’m just going to do my best to go out there and showcase who I am because I have full confidence in my ability on and off the field, so why not do it at the combine?
Dan Kadar of SB Nation’s Mocking the Draft has Smith going to the Chiefs in his latest mock draft.
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