With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the history books, we are creating scouting reports for some of the players the Dallas Cowboys drafted that we haven’t covered, including the undrafted free agent class. Today we are looking at wide receiver Anthony Smith from East Carolina.
WR
East Carolina Pirates
Senior
3-star rating
6’2”
192 lbs
Anthony Smith is from Huntingtown, Maryland and came up as a late-blooming football player with elite track speed. In 2020 at N.C. State, he played eight games and flashed as a deep threat in a small role. He registered five catches for 69 yards and one touchdown,
In 2021, Smith appeared in all 12 games and stayed a low-volume explosive-play specialist with four catches, 97 yards, one touchdown, with a 42-yard touchdown versus Furman. In 2022, his season was cut short by injury and missed the last eight games, and in 2023, he played 10 games in a reserve role and finished with two catches for 19 yards.
He transferred to East Carolina and immediately became a featured vertical target in 2024. He started all 13 games and produced 41 catches, 799 yards, and six touchdowns with multiple 100-yard games. Then in 2025, he made the full leap to go-to receiver for East Carolina with 65 catches, 1,053 yards, seven touchdowns, plus a 45-yard rushing touchdown at Temple. His signature moment was the 2025 Military Bowl, where he won Military Bowl MVP after a bowl-record 156 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four catches.
786 Offensive Snaps
100 Targets
64 Receptions
1,053 Receiving Yards
81 Rec YPG
8 Total TDs
376 YAC
6 Dropped Passes
6 Missed Tackles Forced
40 First Downs
110.1 Passer RTG When Targeted
4 Penalties
Screenshot
2025: First-Team All-American Athletic Conference
Military Bowl MVP
Overall- 51.8
Speed- 93
Acceleration- 96
Agility- 80
Strength- 56
Catching- 69
Route Running- 69
Ball Tracking- 80
YAC Skills- 76
Blocking- 56
Discipline- 90
Elite vertical speedAcceleration and burst is off the chartsExplosive-play productionTrue chunk-play specialistBall tracking is very good on deep shotsUseful size for a deep threatCompetitive toughness and plays through contactWilling special teams contributor Inconsistent handsUnfinished route treeNeeds more separation craft at the top of routesStruggles against physical press man defensive backsLate breakout player with little production at N.C. StateSpecial teams role is projection, not provenPlayed six years of college and already 24 years of age
Smith’s best fit is as a situational vertical field-stretcher and core special teamer. He’s the guy you dress on game day to clear out coverage, run takeoff routes, deep overs, and punish single-high looks when defenses tilt to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Smith will compete for the WR4/WR5 position.
Anthony Smith is a straight-line burner and vertical weapon whose NFL value starts with speed and ends with spacing. He stresses safeties, forces corners to turn and run, and opens room underneath for a primary target while also providing one-play explosive upside on go routes.
His ECU tape shows he can track the ball well downfield, stack defenders when he gets a clean release, finish big plays, and his background as an elite sprinter shows up in how quickly he eats cushion. The limitations are typical for late-round speed receivers. He’s not a refined route technician yet, can be disrupted by physical press and re-routes, and the day-to-day consistency is what determines whether he becomes more than a situational field-stretcher.
The projection is a WR4/5 type who earns his game-day helmet via special teams and speed packages, with the upside to grow into a rotational deep threat if his route craft and play strength develop.
CONSENSUS OVERALL RANKING
313th
(Consensus ranking based on the average ranking from 90 major scoring services, including BTB)