From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Georgia S Tykee Smith.
#23 TYKEE SMITH/S GEORGIA – 5100, 202 POUNDS. (SENIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Tykee Smith | 5100/202 | 9 1/4 | 31 5/8 | 74 3/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.46 | 1.58 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’0″ | 36 | N/A |
THE GOOD
– Smart player with great read and reaction skills
– Plays with “his hair on fire” and has great energy
– Lots of experience and used as a chess piece to make plays on the ball
– Well-built frame to play the box safety or slot CB role
– Has quick feet, bursts well out of breaks
– Good vision and awareness in zone coverage
– Can cover slot receivers and tight ends well
– Shows toughness close to the line of scrimmage in meeting blockers head-on
– Makes great pre-snap diagnosis
– Good blitzer off the edge or in the slot
– Shows nice straight-line speed for a safety
– Feisty getting downhill against runs and receiver screens
– Rarely runs himself completely out of position in run support
– Strong tackler and knows how to angle well, squaring his shoulders to drive through guys
– Patient when mirroring release from the slot
– Got his hands on a lot of balls in his senior season (4 INT’s)
– Doesn’t allow almost any YAC once guys catch balls
– Had good special teams coverage ability
THE BAD
– Short and stocky for the safety spot
– Lack of arm length shows up in not forcing a lot of incompletions
– Gives noticeable ground when flipping hips to sprint
– Limited scheme-wise to playing the nickel/slot CB or box safety positions
– Could struggle with finding functional recovery speed in certain matchups
– Average athleticism to stay connected to routes from trail position
– Struggles with twitchier receivers and has difficulty getting back in phase once beaten
– Difficulty with lateral recovery when he gets his face crossed
– Won’t get away with as much off-hand hooking at catch point
– Will bite on the occasional play-action bait
– Longer-framed receivers could give him trouble in contested catch battles
– Bigger blockers can engulf him at times due to lack of height and arm length to displace them
– Too many missed tackles because of reckless playing style
BIO
– Born on 02/18/2001 (23 years old)
– 2,028 snaps total in 4 seasons (1,356 slot CB, 416 SS, 141 DL, 61 CB, 52 FS) according to PFF
– Started 26 games and played in 50 games total for Georgia and West Virginia University
– 212 total tackles, 33 missed tackles, 21.5 TFL’s, 12 PD’s, 8 INT’s, 7 TD’s allowed, 5 penalties, 5 sacks, 2 FF’s in 4 years of play
– 2023 2nd Team All-American by CBS & Coaches All-SEC 2nd Team selection
– 2021 Injury from pre-season camp kept him out of season’s first five games. Played only 7 snaps total
– 2020 second-team Football Writers All-America & third-team AP All-America
– 2020 second-team All-Big 12
– 2019 Freshman All-America honors by Football Writers & All-Big 12 Honorable Mention at West Virginia University
– Rated as a 4-star prospect by Rivals and 3-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN
– In 2018, he helped lead Imhotep Charter HS to a state runner-up finish
– Finished his HS senior season with 26 tackles, 8 TFLs, 1 INT, and 1 fumble recovery
– Led his HS team in rushing with 502 yards on 60 carries and 9 TDs
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Smith is a versatile player with excellent football intelligence. He has the skills to play as a box safety in coverage, as a slot cornerback, and does well blitzing close to the line of scrimmage. His long speed is better than people think, but he doesn’t have the ability to flip his hips fast enough to stay in phase with receivers on vertical routes. This makes it difficult to trust him covering a lot of grass or playing in man coverage unless it’s against slot receivers or tight ends. With size being his biggest limitation, he can struggle at times in the run game with missed tackles, especially from the safety spot.
It’s pretty evident when watching him this past year that he’s most comfortable as a slot corner who can live as a nickel/safety hybrid player because of his versatility. He can show off his short-area quickness and processing speed to make pre-snap recognition plays on the ball. Smith is one of the best slot players in the draft. Look for him to add versatility to a defense, making an impact wearing multiple helmets. Whether it’s matching up on a slot receiver to bat a pass away in the middle of the field or to blitz unsuspectingly off the edge to create a turnover, this guy is around the ball often.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
There is no doubt that Smith has quality instincts. He is a student of the game and prepares well for his opponent. His route recognition is really good, and he seems to be a step ahead with his ability to get in position to make plays for his defense. Smith is very physical and comes downhill hard. He is a willing tackler in the ground game and isn’t afraid to take on any blocker. The lack of size doesn’t prevent him from being a good tackler, as he shows nice fundamentals to wrap up and get ball carriers to the ground. Smith identifies screens and quickly slips blocks to find ball carriers. He diagnoses plays well and communicates frequently with his teammates on pre-snap reads.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
While Smith is an instinctive defender, he faces real skill-set limitations for the NFL. He is short, lacks length, and struggles to transition out of his backpedal on deep or breaking routes. He could lack the fluidity of movement to be a cover corner in the slot as a pro. With his short stature, Smith is always going to have issues with defenders making catches over him. He can also have issues biting on play-action because he is such an aggressive defender, so he could stand to develop more discipline in the NFL.
One thing that was impressive on tape that maybe doesn’t get talked about enough about him is his ability to stay with guys in the middle of the field and the fact that he doesn’t allow many yards after the catch. He knows how to mirror movements and stay in phase with many guys, but quick-twitch receivers can give him issues. Watch Smith stay with Ricky Pearsall of Florida University. Then in the following clip he steps in front of the in-breaking route to make one of his four interceptions of the year. He may not get his hands on the ball as often as you’d like to see, but this year, when he did, he made the most of it.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) March 4, 2024
CONCLUSION
Teams will love Smith for his instincts, toughness, experience, and elite football character. Others will worry about his long speed and whether he can play down the field as a man-to-man nickel, while others will see him as a little short to be playing safety. However, there will likely be more teams who see it the other way, viewing Smith as a versatile defender whose competitive nature, play strength, and anticipation help him play as big and fast as he needs to. He’s a team leader with NFL-caliber play recognition and a feel for the game.
While he does lack plus acceleration out of transitions, he has fast feet and plays with good balance around the field in both coverage and as a steady, open-field tackler. Smith plays in the mold of a Georgia defensive back with urgency and a nose for the football.
He bears many similarities to C.J. Gardner-Johnson coming out of Florida University. A thickly built guy who is a starting-level nickel/safety hybrid defender. Tough, smart, thickly built defensive backs who can handle multiple responsibilities, whether it’s in cover three or the ‘robber’ role, they have the skill set to be used in a variety of fun ways. Smith may be appealing to the Steelers as a middle-round defensive back who can function as their box safety/nickel back, but his lack of length may deter them if they’re looking for a taller guy in that role. If a team plays to his strengths and doesn’t ask him to be a deep field safety, this is a guy who can be a very effective player for a defense.
Projection: Early Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 7.5 – Rotational Player (4th Round)
Games Watched: at Vanderbilt (2023), vs. South Carolina (2023) vs. Auburn (2022), vs Kansas (2020), at Baylor (2019)
