INDIANAPOLIS — In a city that made its name with speed, all that was missing for former Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith was a checkered flag.
Smith turned in one of the fastest 40-yard dashes at this year’s NFL scouting combine Tuesday in the final on-field workouts of the week-long affair at Lucas Oil Stadium. Smith had a time of 4.46 seconds on the combine’s electronic clock Tuesday afternoon, with some teams hand-timing him at 4.38.
That put the 6-foot-2 1/4, 211-pounder among the fastest defensive backs in what was considered a fast group overall. It also puts Smith in line to be a possible first-round pick in April’s draft if he can alleviate some of the concerns teams have about his past behavior off the field.
“I’ve been confident about what I could run all along,” Smith said. “That’s what you do here. You show them what you’re about, what you can do. I think I’m a shutdown corner and I have great speed.”
Jalil Brown, who played opposite of Smith in the Buffs’ defense, also worked out. Several scouts said Brown continued to help his cause with a good showing in position drills as well as 4.49 and 4.50 showings (hand-timed) in the 40.
Brown followed up in Indianapolis after a quality week at the Senior Bowl in January.
“You just want to keep making progress, keep showing them what you can do,” Brown said. “It’s been a lot of work and effort to get to this point. It was good to be here, in front of the actual coaches — not just the scouts, but the people actually making the decisions.”
Smith said he had run a hand-timed 4.37 40 in his training leading up to the combine and believed he could duplicate that Tuesday.
In team visits in coming weeks, Smith must deal with off-the-field questions from scouts and personnel executives. Most of those questions stem from a failed drug test in 2007 and two arrests for being a minor in possession of alcohol during his time in Boulder. In interviews with team officials in Indianapolis, Smith was considered brash.
“I’ve made young mistakes,” Smith said. “I’ll continue to answer any question they have about me. I’ve been honest. I haven’t avoided anything. They’ve asked and I’ve answered. That’s all I can do. I believe I can help the team that takes me, and I’ll show that.”
Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com
