HEIGHT: 5'10"

WEIGHT: 206

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 31 3/8"

WINGSPAN: 75"

40-YARD DASH:

3-CONE:

SHUTTLE:

VERTICAL:

BROAD:

POSITIVES

— Very good athlete with a smooth backpedal, quick feet to transition with a good burst, and able to flip hips without losing speed.

— Triggers quickly to the run and comes downhill with aggression and physicality. Takes on blockers with his hands and shows good strength to hold his ground. Strong tackler who delivers a blow at the point of contact.

— Good awareness and vision in coverage. Has route recognition in man coverage and is able to decipher route combinations in zone coverage.

NEGATIVES

— Lacks ideal length for a defensive back. Shows up when taking on bigger blockers, along with struggling to high-point with taller receivers.

— Good-not-great speed. Able to run with most receivers but can give a step or two when running with twitchier athletes. Lacks the recovery speed needed to get back in phase.

2023 STATISTICS

— 14 G, 70 TOT, 8.5 TFL, 2 SK, 4 INT, 2 PD

NOTES

— Born Feb 18, 2001

— 26 career starts

— 3-star recruit in the 2019 class, per 247Sports

— 2021 transfer from West Virginia

— 2023 second-team All-America (CBS Sports)

— 2023 second-team All-SEC (Coaches)

— 2020 first-team All-America (Pro Football Focus)

— 2019 freshman All-America honors (PFWA)

OVERALL

Tykee Smith is an active defensive back with a high motor that takes him all over the field. After beginning his collegiate career at West Virginia, he transferred to Georgia in 2021.

Smith started at cornerback while at West Virginia, but he switched to a versatile defensive back at Georgia. He's primarily a safety, but he can roll down as a slot defender as well.

Smith is primarily a man cover defender who excels in space and gives scheme flexibility. He has a smooth backpedal with fluid hips and quick feet to transition. He is able to sink his hips to transition and has good burst to drive out of his breaks.

A handsy defender, Smith likes to ride receivers down the field, but he often gets too physical. He has very good vision as a deep zone defender, paired with the awareness to see routes develop around him when in underneath coverage. Smith has very good movement skills, but he lacks the top-end speed and recovery speed to catch back up. While working down the field, he does a very good job of getting his head around to locate the ball with the timing and ball skills necessary to capitalize.

As a run defender, Smith has shown the aggressiveness and physicality needed to make quick run reads and react downhill. He does a great job of taking on blocks, using his hands and giving a good shock to blockers. When taking on receivers, he has the strength necessary to control and disengage to the ball, although his lack of length causes him to get stuck at times when facing bigger blockers. As a tackler, Smith brings physical hits and is a relatively secure tackler who does a great job of wrestling ball-carriers to the ground.

Smith was highly productive at both West Virginia and Georgia. He's a versatile player who can play as a deep safety and slot defender. Although his lack of length and top-end speed will hurt his draft stock, he has the skills to improve a team's defensive backs room.

GRADE: 6.5 (Potential Role Player/Contributor — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 125

POSITION RANK: S10

PRO COMPARISON: Daniel Thomas

Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

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