Arian Smith ready to put drops issue behind him and add new dimension to Jets

Jets rookie wide receiver Arian Smith has heard the talk.The pre-draft evaluations of Smith all talked about how he had world-class speed, but dropped too many passes.Smith, a fourth-round pick out of Georgia, is ready to answer his critics.“It’s very motivating,” Smith said Friday on the first day of the Jets rookie minicamp.

“I’m not the type of person that ever runs from stuff I did.Whether I earned it, whether it’s my fault, I’m not the type of person who makes excuses on anything.

It definitely gives me motivation.”Smith had 48 receptions for 817 yards and four touchdowns for the Bulldogs last year but he also had 10 drops.It is the biggest knock on Smith, who is a former track star at Georgia who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.As Smith said, he is not running from the issue.

He acknowledges he has to do better and said the solution is to “put time into it.”“I’d probably say focus,” Smith said when asked what has led to the drops.“It’s not necessarily technique because there’s no special technique for catching a ball.

I feel like it’s focus and me worrying about other things than catching the ball.”Only a small portion of Friday’s practice was open to the media.During that session, Smith made a nice catch across the middle on a hard-thrown ball that was a little behind him.

He made another catch on an outside route.The speed he brings is obvious.

He could add a dimension the Jets have lacked on offense for several years.The Jets have needed someone who can stretch the field.Smith is out to prove he can do more than just run by people.“I strive to be an all-around receiver,” Smith said.

“Speed is my strength but I can be so much better than just speed.That’s what I want to be.”Smith walked away from track in 2023 to focus solely on football.“I gave up track just because of the workload,” Smith said.

“To be good at something, you’ve got to put time into it.It ain’t just going ...