Following breakthrough seasons, Smith, Tate ponder NFL futures

For now, at least, Terrapin football wide receiver Torrey Smith and safety Kenny Tate insist they are focused only on winning a bowl game and finishing the Terps' resurgent year on a high note.

But once the season officially ends, the talented duo will have to shift their focus from the team to their own future as the juniors grapple with whether they will return for their senior seasons in College Park.

The deadline to declare for the NFL Draft is Jan. 15, and Smith and Tate are the two Terps with eligibility remaining who are the most likely to try to make the leap.

Once known only as a dynamic kick returner with improving receiver skills, Smith blossomed into quarterback Danny O'Brien's favorite target and the team's best deep threat this year. He finished the season with 65 catches, 1045 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns en route to first-team All-ACC honors.

An early departure to the professional ranks seems to be a serious consideration for Smith, who said he has already filed the requisite paperwork with the NFL to gather feedback about his status as a draft prospect.

"I put my papers in, so I imagine I'll get that back in a couple of weeks," said Smith, who is rated the fifth-best junior wide receiver by NFLDraftScout.com. "I guess that'll kind of help speed things up."

Earlier this week, coach Ralph Friedgen said that Smith needs to decide what's best for his family in both the immediate and long-term future. Friedgen conceded that if NFL scouts are interested, it would be foolish for Smith not to leave school early.

"I told him, ‘If it comes down to you being a first-round pick, you've got to go,'" Friedgen said. "With millions and millions of dollars at stake, what I am going to try to do is provide him with all of the information he needs. Whatever he does, I will support him. I will support him for the rest of his life if I have to; he is just that type of kid."

Tate's decision may be more nuanced. Always regarded as one of the most athletic players in the conference, Tate developed into a terrific all-around safety for the Terps this season.

He garnered first-team All-ACC honors after finishing the season with 94 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and four forced fumbles.

"I think he had a phenomenal year for us, and as far as a football player, he does a lot of things for us," Friedgen said. "He pretty much runs our defense, and he really, really played outstanding football this season."

Tate ranks as the No. 2 junior free safety according to NFLDraftScout.com, and the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder's play this season seemed to improve with every game this year.

Tate has remained relatively quiet on the subject of his future, but Friedgen said that Tate's parents told him recently that their son plans to stay in school.

"I haven't talked to Kenny about it. I did mention it to him one time, and he looked at me like, ‘What, are you nuts?'" Friedgen said. "But who knows — you never know who is talking to these kids, and that could change a couple of times. I would hope that he sticks around."

lemaire@umdbk.com