Tykee Smith, NB Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Smith was a three-star recruit from Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2019
Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith suffered a torn ACL in 2021 that put his rapid ascension on hold. Fortunately, Smith was back to full health in 2023 and played a huge role in one of college football’s best secondaries. He projects as a fourth round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.
Tykee Smith, NB Georgia: 2024 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Fifth-year senior slot defender from Philadelphia, Pa.
Background: Smith was a three-star recruit from Imhotep Institute Charter High School in Philadelphia, Pa. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 527 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 557 for On3.com. Smith was an unranked four-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He transferred from West Virginia to Georgia for the 2021 season. As a high school senior, Smith led Imhotep to an 11-3 record and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A State runner-up finish. In ten games, he amassed 26 tackles, eight tackles for loss, an interception, and a fumble recovery, and he led the team in rushing with 502 yards and nine touchdowns on 60 carries. Smith finished his high school career with 63 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery, five interceptions, and a pick-six. On offense, he totaled 971 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, 11 receptions, 261 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns. Smith left high school with 1,385 all-purpose yards, including 128 interception return yards. Imhotep went 37-6 during Smith’s time in high school and won the PIAA Class 4A State Championship three consecutive times. He was a two-time team captain and was a 2017 USA Today Pennsylvania All-American and a 2017 All-Philadelphia Public League First Team selection.
Injuries & Off-Field: Missed five games in 2021 with a sprained foot suffered in preseason camp, suffered a torn ACL in 2021, suffered a right shoulder contusion vs. LSU in 2022, minor knee tweak caused him to exit UT Martin game (2023), momentarily exited Florida game (2023) with an injury before returning, has a young daughter
Awards: 2019 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2019 FWAA Shawn Alexander Freshman All-America Team, 2020 Honorable Mention All-Big 12, 2020 Second Team All-Big 12 (Associated Press), 2020 Third Team All-American (Associated Press), 2020 First Team All-American (PFF), 2023 Second Team All-SEC, 2023 Second Team All-American (CBS)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, more than 400 special teams snaps, foot speed, sticky in man coverage, hounds receiver early in the route in soft shoe press, crowds outside releases and compresses them on the sideline, willing to get physical with bigger players at the top of the stem, quickly snaps to the receiver at the top of the stem from off-man, mismatch in coverage for tight ends, king of right place-right time on tipped passes, doesn’t fall for eye manipulation, short-area burst to undercut and break up slants, impressive recovery speed, appears to have the speed to stick with vertical threats, not fooled by action in the backfield, identifies potential screens pre-snap, blows up screens, quick to shift gears in backpedal and drive forward, quick to trigger downhill, sorts through multiple threats in zone, good spacing in zone, comes to balance as a tackler in the open field, wrap-up tackler, not afraid of taking on bigger blockers, useful block shedding knowledge, some knockback when contacting blockers, fights and eventually slips away from blockers, instances of playing through weak stalk blocks
Cons: Injury history, arm length is questionable, limited height and size, high backpedal, some stiffness in hips, bit of a short-strider, needs to be more assertive in press at the line, punches in press can be inaccurate, physicality leads to some grabbing on sharp routes, likely will draw more flags in the NFL, lower half causes some minor limitations in man coverage, won’t win long foot races against speedsters, awareness of the action behind him in zone could be better, motor can be inconsistent in run defense when not near the play, occasional trouble separating from stalk blocks
Overview: In 2023, Smith was finally all the way back from the torn ACL that cost him most of 2021 and likely still held him back in 2022. He performed at an elite level in the slot this year. Smith has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units with more than 400 total special teams snaps and just over 2,000 defensive snaps in his college career. He has impressive foot speed that helps him be sticky in man coverage, especially on intermediate routes. The fifth-year defensive back hounds receiver early in the route in press coverage. He compresses outside releases along the sideline to limit throwing windows. Smith gets physical with pass catchers of all sizes at the top of the stem. He quickly drives on and crowds pass catchers at the top of the stem from off-man coverage. Smith’s physicality, football IQ, and coverage skills make him a mismatch in coverage against tight ends. He’s too quick for them to elude but also too physical for them to completely discard. Smith is always around the football, and this has resulted in him recording several interceptions on tip drills. The former All-American has the short-area burst to undercut and break up slants. His impressive recovery speed allows him to get back into routes after initially giving a step or two. Smith appears to have the speed to stay in-phase against vertical threats, but he won’t win long foot races against speedsters. The Pennsylvania native is a high IQ defender who doesn’t fall for eye manipulation and isn’t fooled by eye candy in the backfield. He identifies potential screens pre-snap and uses his closing burst and quick trigger to blow them up. Smith quickly shifts from his backpedal into forward drive to trigger on plays in front of him. He sorts through multiple threats in zone, communicating with his teammates, and passing off receivers. The former West Virginia star has a strong understanding of spacing in zones. He has a physical, no-nonsense style of play, especially as a tackler. Smith comes to balance as a tackler in the open field and usually wraps up the ball carrier. He is easy to block initially because of his undersized frame and limited arm length, but it’s challenging to keep him blocked. Smith isn’t afraid to take on larger blockers and is adept at shedding blocks. He even packs some knockback at the point of contact. There are some instances of Smith playing through weak stalk blocks. He works relentlessly to get off of blocks. NFL teams will carefully examine Smith’s medical history before selecting him in the draft. His limited height and arm length will raise some questions. The former three-star recruit has a high backpedal and is clearly more comfortable in a half-turn. He appears to deal with some stiffness in his hips and is a bit of a short-strider. Smith needs to be more assertive in press coverage at the line of scrimmage as his punches are often too weak or inaccurate. His physical play style leads to some grabbing mid-route, which will draw flags in the NFL. Smith’s lower half causes some minor limitations in man coverage with how quickly he flips his hips and adjusts for receivers who bounce across his face. His awareness of the action behind him while playing zone coverage needs to improve.
Overall, Smith has some physical limitations and an injury history, but he is a high IQ defensive back who plays fundamentally sound football. His physicality helps compensate for his limited size and arm length. Smith has the spacing and coverage discipline to play zone at a high level, but his best plays in coverage come in man assignments. He will contribute in the run game at a high level for a slot defender.
Role & Scheme Fit: Nickel defender in a man-heavy scheme
Round Projection: Fourth Round
Size: 5'10", 205 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 01-06-24