3 realistic goals for Panthers rookie WR Shi Smith in 2021

Shi Smith becomes the third receiving option on the Carolina Panthers

Living less than an hour away from Williams-Brice Stadium I felt obligated to watch South Carolina closely over the past three seasons. My love of SEC football overcoming my strong bias for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Loving SEC football and attending UGA is a tradition.

A tradition that has given me a chance to see many exceptional wide receivers in the Southeastern Conference over the years.

Whether it was watching Julio Jones play for Alabama or A.J. Green destroying opposing defenses for Georgia – the standard has been incredibly high.

While Shi Smith certainly isn’t in their stratosphere, he certainly is one of the more interesting players I have watched over the years. He can make jaw-dropping one-handed catches just as easily as he can disappear from the offense completely if things aren’t going his way.

Smith was a productive player. But he is undersized and was at times inconsistent during his college career.

Despite these concerns by the end of the season, Smith could be the third receiver on the depth chart with a smooth transition into Joe Brady’s offense on the Carolina Panthers.

Although the Panthers drafted Terrace Marshall Jr., Smith’s big-play ability is going to allow him to work his way to the third spot and play in the slot consistently in the latter half of the season.

Allowing Smith to establish himself as a solid No. 3 option for a team who will have no shortage of offensive weapons this season.