Avery Smith is the kind of undrafted free agent who can force a team to pay attention fast. The Chargers brought him in after the 2026 NFL Draft, and while he still has plenty to prove, there’s real buzz around his chances to stick.
Smith’s path to this point has been anything but conventional. Born on January 1, 2004, in East Point, Georgia, he played quarterback at Riverwood International Charter School and put up huge numbers as a senior: 3,208 passing yards, 913 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns. He was rated a three-star recruit by 247Sports.
The move that changed everything came after he found himself buried on the quarterback depth chart as a third- or fourth-string option. Smith switched to cornerback, spent his first two college seasons on special teams, and didn’t become a starter until 2024, when he was a junior.
Once he got on the field, he made the most of it. Smith started every game as a junior, earned Second-Team All-MAC honors and tied for second in the nation in pass breakups. He followed that up with another Second-Team All-MAC selection in his senior year.
That late surge pushed him onto NFL radars, with scouts projecting him in the sixth-round range. Chargers draft expert Thomas Martinez described him as: "a well built defensive back but is on the shorter side at just over 5'10.
He relies on instincts and route recognition to make plays on the ball and does an excellent job at preventing wide receivers from stacking him on deep routes. His tackling could use some technique improvement but he is unafraid and willing to get in the mix."
Even with that attention, Smith went undrafted. Los Angeles quickly moved to sign him for offseason workouts, hoping his game translates in preseason action. Some outlets have already labeled him one of the Chargers’ best UDFA signings, which only adds to the optimism around him.
His college production backs up the intrigue: 13 games, 42 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 11 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble and 1 blocked extra point for 2-PTs.
Smith also signed a 3 year, $3,120,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $20,000 signing bonus, $267,500 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $1,040,000. In 2026, Smith will earn a base salary of $885,000 and a signing bonus of $20,000, while carrying a cap hit of $891,666 and a dead cap value of $267,500.
Now he’s in the Chargers’ system, where the comparisons have already started. Some see him as a possible Nikko Reed 2.0 type of case: a player with college hype, a smaller frame, plenty of edge, and a legitimate shot to hang around on the final 53-man roster.
That said, the road is still steep. The Chargers are likely to keep extra safeties, which makes Smith’s path tougher. But if he keeps making plays, it wouldn’t be a shock if he plays his way onto the roster and nudges someone else off it.
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