Alphonso Smith

[Roy P]

http://life.atlantafalcons.com/topic...lphonso-smith/

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com...one-in-denver/

At this point, Smith appears to be battling rookie seventh-round pick Syd'Quan Thompson for the ninth and possibly final defensive back roster spot. Thompson is coming off a preseason performance that showed more promise than anything Smith has done as a pro.

Look, we understand bad picks happen. But McDaniels traded a 2010 first-round pick to Seattle to take Smith No. 37 overall. (The traded pick turned into the No. 14 selection; Seattle took Earl Thomas.) If you are going to gamble that big on an undersized cornerback, you better be right.

Smith's possible release points out just how hard it is to judge college talent. The Broncos took cornerbacks Perrish Cox and Thompson in the fifth and seventh-round respectively in 2010. They both look like long-term keepers.