The Index · Live

Chau Smith-Wade Carolina Panthers · #26

Cornerback · 5' 11", 176 lbs · Denver, CO · Age 24

Chau Smith-Wade is a Cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, drafted 157th overall, 2024. In 2026 he recorded 3 tackles.

Carolina Panthers roster More Cornerbacks

CornerbackDrafted 157th overall3-yr veteran

⚖ Quick compare

Analysis by Beau Thoutt · Balladex

◆ Rated

Carolina Panthers · #26 · Cornerback

Chau Smith-Wade

Season avg3 tkl · 0 sacks · 0 int

Career avg98 tkl · 0 sacks · 2 int

Live win probabilitySeason

No scheduled game — showing season pace. Illustrative.

Tonight's projectionmodel

3tkl

0sacks

0int

LADDER#629 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXChau Smith-Wade · Carolina PanthersLADDER#629 in the Balladex MVP raceIMPACTBalladex Impact 50 — Rotation piece tierINDEXChau Smith-Wade · Carolina Panthers

Scouting report

Chau Smith-Wade — the report card

Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades are percentiles vs every active player at his position.

Cornerback · Rotation piece · Impact 50

Chau Smith-Wade is a Cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, drafted 157th overall, 2024. In 2026 he recorded 3 tackles.

C-

Coverage

Ball skills

C-

Run support

C-

Coverage

Average · defense

tap for the data ↓

Ball skills

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Tackling

Average · defense

tap for the data ↓

Splash plays

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

C+

Blitz

Solid · defense

tap for the data ↓

Act II

Where Chau Smith-Wade stands

Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.

The laddersmodel · recomputes nightly

Jared Goff Detroit Lions▬

29%

Bryce Young Carolina Panthers▬

23%

Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers▬

22%

Tyler Shough New Orleans Saints▬

11%

Kirk Cousins Las Vegas Raiders▬

✦ Balladex Consensus: #1220 of 1982 — a blend of the Impact index, current production, career résumé and live search demand. Recomputes as the data does.

Futures & chases

—MVP odds

50Impact index

51Star score

Career scoring average0.0 ppg

Seasons in the index0

Accolades on file0

Stat explorer

Chau Smith-Wade — every number, three levels deep

Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.

C+

Tackling

3 TKL

drill in ↓

C+

Pass rush

0.0 SACK

drill in ↓

C-

Coverage

0 PD

drill in ↓

Splash

0 FF

drill in ↓

The engine

How the model sees Chau Smith-Wade

Projection = recency-weighted per-season production, nudged along a position aging curve, banded by his year-to-year volatility. No black box — every number shows its work.

Projected 2027 modeled

0–2

int

0–1

tackles

6–48

0–1

games

4–14

Bands widen as confidence drops. Derived live from the real 3-season history below.

What moves the pd line vs last season

Last season 0 → projected 1 pd

Baseline (recency-weighted)

+0.8

Age curve

+0.0

Net vs last season+0.9 pd

Everything it reads

📊

3 seasons of real box production

every game line, verified

real

⚖

Recency × games weight

recent, healthy years anchor the baseline

auto

📈

Year-over-year trend

his own trajectory, season to season

+dev

🕰

Position aging curve

age 24 — applied to the projection

curve

🏈

Role & usage context

target / carry share and snaps fold in

+ctx

🏥

Availability signal

games last 3: 14 / 16 / 3

health

The real history it trains onsource: Pro-Football-Reference / ESPN · verified

Chau Smith-Wade career stats, season by season

Career stats by season
Season	G	Tkl	PD	INT	FF	Sack
2024	14	39	1	1	1	0
2025	16	56	2	1	0	0
2026 in progress · 3 games	3	3	0	0	0	0
Career	33	98	3	2	1	0.0

Source: Pro-Football-Reference. Backtested against completed player-seasons in the index. The same engine powers the report-card percentiles and the DNA radar — one model, asked different questions. Illustrative.

Act III

The Lab

Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.

Gold = award / milestone season · hover any bar. Real season totals.

Player DNA + compssimilarity model

Closest comps

Ar'Darius Washington 100%Art Green 100%JL Skinner 100%Jonathan Owens 100%Malachi Moore 100%Trey Washington 100%

⚖ Overlay a rival →

Context

Are the Carolina Panthers built to win?

Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.

10–7proj record

86off index

76def index

+28net

76%playoff odds

60roster

Roster delta · what changed

Offense grades A- (86), defense B- (76) by our position-percentile roster model. QB play indexes at 77, pass rush 53, coverage 99.

How his role moves

Projected 10–7 on a 17-game slate — modeled from the current roster's production percentiles, not a calibrated Vegas line. His snaps, target/carry share and usage move with roster health.

Balladex Impact

50 of 99

Rotation piece tier.

Rarity

◆ Rated

Collectible tier.

Résumé

0 accolades

Career honors on file.

Act IV

The Ballad of Chau Smith-Wade

Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.

2002-09-17

The beginning

Chau Smith-Wade is a Cornerback for the Carolina Panthers, in his 3rd NFL season.

Carolina Panthers

Turning pro

Drafted 157th overall, 2024 as a Cornerback.

true

Chau Smith-Wade is a Carolina Panthers cornerback, drafted 157th overall, 2024.

Chapter

Across 3 seasons (2024–2026) he has recorded 98 tackles, 0 sacks and 2 interceptions.

Chapter

Most recently he posted 3 tackles, 0 sacks and 0 interceptions in 2026.

▶

Smith-Wade's story

The documentary, narrated

Highlights

▶ Chau Smith-Wade's first NFL INT comes on dazzling snag of Mayfield's pass ▶ Chau Smith-Wade flips Penix pass into PICK SIX

Off the field

Measurables

Active

Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 176 lbs
Draft: 157th overall, 2024
Born: Denver, CO
Age: 24
Jersey: #26

Background

Chau Smith-Wade is from Denver, CO and is 24 years old. He was drafted 157th overall, 2024 and plays cornerback at 5' 11", 176 lbs.

Over 3 seasons (2024–2026) he has recorded 98 tackles, 0 sacks and 2 interceptions. Smith-Wade is currently on the Carolina Panthers roster.

The person

Chau Smith-Wade is a role and nickel defensive back who has recorded 98 tackles with 2 interceptions and 3 passes defensed across 3 seasons (2024–2026).

Coverage production2 career interceptions and 3 passes defensed.

Tackling98 career tackles from the secondary.

Playmaking1 forced fumbles.

Draft pedigree157th overall, 2024.

Verified profiles & sources

ESPN ESPN ESPN

FAQ

Chau Smith-Wade — frequently asked

The questions people ask most about Chau Smith-Wade, answered.

What position does Chau Smith-Wade play?

Chau Smith-Wade is a Cornerback for the Carolina Panthers.

When was Chau Smith-Wade drafted?

Chau Smith-Wade was drafted 157th overall, 2024.

How many seasons has Chau Smith-Wade played?

3 (2024–2026).

What are Chau Smith-Wade's career stats?

He has recorded 98 tackles, 0 sacks and 2 interceptions.

Chau Smith-Wade career stats & accolades are real, and team projections and recent-game home/away splits are computed from real production. DNA ratings, grades, tonight's projection, ladders, live win probability and simulator outputs are Balladex model output. Not affiliated with the NBA.

Chau Smith-Wade Carolina Panthers · #26

Chau Smith-Wade — the report card

Where Chau Smith-Wade stands

Chau Smith-Wade — every number, three levels deep

How the model sees Chau Smith-Wade

Chau Smith-Wade career stats, season by season

The Lab

Are the Carolina Panthers built to win?

The Ballad of Chau Smith-Wade

The beginning

Turning pro

true

Chapter

Chapter

Off the field

Chau Smith-Wade — frequently asked

Current role & opportunity

Injury history

More Carolina Panthers players

Chau Smith-Wade head-to-head

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