2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Tykee Smith, a safety out of Georgia. He is from Philadelphia, PA, and was a 3-star recruit from Imhotep Institute High School.
Smith started his college career at the University of West Virginia in 2019. He played in 12 games and put up solid stats. He recorded 36 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions in an impressive debut season.
In 2020 he would once again put up excellent numbers. In 10 games he would record 33 tackles and two interceptions and would turn that into a transfer to the Georgia Bulldogs.
His first season at Georgia was marred by injuries and saw him play in only one game.
He would rebound in 2022 and 2023 where he posted a combined 68 tackles, 4 sacks, and 4 interceptions before declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Measurables
NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| 2019 | West Virginia | Big 12 | FR | S | 12 | 36 | 14 | 50 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2 | 58 | 29.0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||
| *2020 | West Virginia | Big 12 | SO | S | 10 | 33 | 28 | 61 | 8.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
| *2021 | Georgia | SEC | JR | DB | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| *2022 | Georgia | SEC | JR | 14 | 22 | 6 | 28 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| *2023 | Georgia | SEC | SR | DB | 14 | 46 | 24 | 70 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Overall | 140 | 72 | 212 | 21.5 | 5.0 | 8 | 120 | 15.0 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| West Virginia | 69 | 42 | 111 | 10.5 | 1.0 | 4 | 100 | 25.0 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| Georgia | 71 | 30 | 101 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 4 | 20 | 5.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Plays with high energy and a high motor.
- Possesses great strength as a tackler.
- He has elite physicality as a big-time hitter.
- Has good anticipation and instincts across the field.
Weaknesses
- He struggles with route recognition.
- Often takes poor angles in pursuit of defenders.
- Is susceptible to getting beat by double teams at the line of scrimmage.
- He needs to develop better tackling techniques to be more efficient.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Round 3/4
Ideal Landing Spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers need a revamping on defense as they will be losing significant pieces to free agency. If they are to draft a replacement safety, Smith could be the perfect addition.
Smith has shown elite potential at Georgia and as a Day 2 pick, he could be a diamond in the rough that could contribute to their secondary for years to come.
