London Smith
Bio
Recruiting
Scouting Report
London Smith is a four-star 2026 wide receiver out of Waco University High School and one of the premier pass-catchers in the talent-rich state of Texas, carrying a 0.8911 composite rating and a No. 450 national ranking. A multi-sport standout (football, basketball, track) with deep Baylor bloodlines, he projects as a vertical perimeter threat whose track-caliber speed and ball-tracking outweigh a frame that still needs to fill out.
Physical Profile
Listed at roughly 6-0, 175 pounds, Smith has a lean, long-limbed build typical of a developing X/Z receiver who doubles as a sprinter and triple-jump bloodline athlete (his mother was an NCAA triple-jump champion). The track background shows up as legitimate straight-line burst and explosive lower-body change of direction, and his basketball background translates to body control and high-point ability in contested situations. The chief physical question is play strength and mass — at 175 pounds he is currently under-built for press coverage and contested catches against Power-conference corners, and adding 15-20 pounds of functional weight is the gating factor on his ceiling.
Play Style
Smith plays fast and vertical — a downfield, big-play receiver who uncovers with pure speed, tracks the deep ball naturally, and finishes with leaping, contested grabs in the red zone. His film leans toward home-run production over the short/intermediate possession game, and he uses athleticism to win rather than refined technique at this stage. After the catch he has the burst to take any reception the distance.
Strengths
- Elite long speed and vertical separation — track-sprinter wheels make him a genuine field-stretcher who threatens the top of the defense and produced explosive scoring (roughly 22-23 TDs on only ~132 career catches, a TD rate that signals big-play, not volume, production).
- Multi-sport body control and ball skills — basketball-bred high-pointing and leaping let him win above the rim on go balls and back-shoulder throws, and his catch radius plays up beyond his listed frame.
- Proven production and program-leading pedigree — 2,102 career yards as 'the face of Waco University' against varsity competition since his freshman year, with the maturity and competitive profile that drew offers from Alabama, Georgia, Oregon, Texas and Texas A&M before he committed to Baylor.
Areas to Improve
- Functional strength and frame — needs significant weight and upper-body strength to beat press at the line and finish through contact; an immediate college S&C priority before he can hold up as an every-down outside receiver.
- Route-running detail and release polish — by his own account he is working on 'getting out of breaks' and 'the little things,' indicating he wins now largely on speed; sharpening tempo changes, stem deception and intermediate route nuance is what separates a deep-only threat from a complete WR1.
College Projection
Likely a developmental redshirt or rotational deep-threat/special-teams contributor as a true freshman while he adds mass, with a path to a starting boundary or flanker role by Year 2-3 at Baylor. Best early value comes on vertical concepts and as a designed-shot and gadget weapon while the route tree expands.
NFL Outlook
Mid-round developmental projection at this stage with clear upside. The combination of track speed, catch radius and competitive pedigree gives him a draftable trajectory if the body fills out and the route polish catches up to the athletic tools; the realistic outcome is a Day 3 vertical specialist with WR2 ceiling if he becomes a complete route-runner. Premature to project higher until he proves separation against high-level press at the college level.
Best Fit
A vertical, tempo-oriented spread offense that schemes deep shots and creates free releases off motion and stacks — exactly the kind of explosive, RPO-and-vertical attack Baylor's system can deploy. He maximizes in a scheme that lets a speed receiver run go/post/seam concepts and win in space, rather than one that asks him to grind in the slot or as a physical possession target early in his career.
Player Comparison
Similar 6'0" 175-pound frame with exceptional football instincts that allowed him to excel despite position uncertainty coming out of high school. Like this prospect, Edelman was a high-level athlete who played multiple positions and had coaches project his best role at the next level, ultimately finding success through versatility and competitive drive rather than elite measurables.