Welcome Tykee Smith

[BuccaNOLEer]

Safety from UGA. Another good value pick at a position of need.

Licht is making the right picks this year.... picks that fill immediate needs. The question that remains is did he pick the right players?

[Snake]

2022: Started 4 of 14 games played for the national champions (28 tackles, 2.5 TFL with 2 sacks, PBU).
2023: Second-team All-SEC. Led the team with 70 tackles, 8.5 TFL. Started all 14 games (2 sacks, 4 INTs, 2 PBUs).

Overview
It doesn’t take long to see why Kirby Smart and Georgia welcomed Smith over from West Virginia when he was in the transfer portal. Smith plays the “Star” position and is like an additional linebacker in a much smaller frame. He’s at his best playing forward and has the strength to take on blockers and disrupt pass catchers underneath. Smith is compact and strong but lacks the functional height and length for downfield coverage. He plays with an NFL demeanor but will likely be typecast in a very narrow role as a sub-package safety with coverage limitations.

[Miller4Prez64]

I don’t know anything about this guy but I got back to my hotel in time to see the highlights on ESPN and he looks interesting. I wonder how much he plays as a rookie though.

[Snake]

http://itsabucslife.com/viewtopic.php?p=131339

[BuccaNOLEer]

He seems to be more of a hard hitting safety or what I like to call a "buck linebacker". He reminds me of this guy who played for the Dolphins. Liffort Hobley

[Redrum]

Instinctive, versatile, tough. Great piece to add to the secondary.

[Babeinbucland]

I don’t know anything about this guy but I got back to my hotel in time to see the highlights on ESPN and he looks interesting. I wonder how much he plays as a rookie though.

Smith, a native of Philadelphia, led the Bulldogs with 70 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four interceptions in his final season, which marked his third with the Bulldogs. 

[real bucs fan]

Daniel Jeremiah says he’s a plug and play Day 1 Nickel.

[Bootz]

Daniel Jeremiah says he’s a plug and play Day 1 Nickel.

That's exactly what I saw when they showed his highlights during pick discussion on ABC. He plays like a NB who's gonna play the run, blitz the QB, cover underneath routes.

[Grahamburn]

Daniel Jeremiah says he’s a plug and play Day 1 Nickel.

That's exactly what I saw when they showed his highlights during pick discussion on ABC. He plays like a NB who's gonna play the run, blitz the QB, cover underneath routes.

Sounds like a Bowles guy.

[Phantom]

The problem with the cornerback position continues to concern me. we need to do better than that

SS: Antoine Winfield
SS: Jordan Whitehead
CB: Jamel Dean
CB: Zion McCollum
?: Tykee Smith

Bucs should consider trading up for TJ Tampa it would alleviate my concern.

[Grahamburn]

The problem with the cornerback position continues to concern me. we need to do better than that

SS: Antoine Winfield
SS: Jordan Whitehead
CB: Jamel Dean
CB: Zion McCollum
?: Tykee Smith

Bucs should consider trading up for him, it would alleviate my concern.

Trading up for who?

[Phantom]

The problem with the cornerback position continues to concern me. we need to do better than that

SS: Antoine Winfield
SS: Jordan Whitehead
CB: Jamel Dean
CB: Zion McCollum
?: Tykee Smith

Bucs should consider trading up for him, it would alleviate my concern.

Trading up for who?

TJ Tampa

[Grahamburn]

I have ludicrous quoting speed.

[Phantom]

I read that Smith is NB so which position will he play the most? Safety or cornerback?

[Grahamburn]

I read that Smith is NB so which position will he play the most? Safety or cornerback?

Nickel/slot corner. Replacement/Competition for Izien. Dean and McCollum start outside.

[Kona]

Came in for a top 30 visit and one of pewter reports Bucs best bets at safety. Dude looks like he’ll play the Ronde role. I like the pick

[Cheb]

I can see why you'd want Tykee Smith as a nickel corner. Tykee is very physical, a great blitzer, his skills as an open field tackler are self evident, instincts seem top notch, he has a knack for making plays on the ball when tipped, and he does a pretty good job of pass defense on inside routes.

But I have serious reservations about Tykee's long speed at corner. He would be our slowest corner among our top four guys, and when your slot corner is slow that makes me worried about man coverage busts. Bowles has been transitioning to a lot of zone, so maybe he doesn't have the same concerns that I do. But Bowles also doesn't match his corners to personnel. For example, if the Dolphins put Hill or Waddle in the slot and we are in man coverage, then Smith is in a footrace to the end zone that he has no chance of winning. We saw what happened with MJ Stewart when we tried shoehorning him into a nickel role when he was a far more natural safety; dude got abused game in and game out, and I wouldn't want to see Tykee Smith handled in the same way.

Then again, Tykee is taller, heavier, and faster than Ronde Barber ever was, and he shows good instincts as a defender, so maybe my concerns are unfounded and I should just shut up.

I think Tykee Smith would be best played at safety. His closing speed and skill as a run defender and willingness to get physical at his size reminds me alot of Jordan Whitehead. My plan would be to use him as a third safety chess piece, dime corner, and potential nickel linebacker, with the plan to get him on the field in ideal situations for him before he took over for Whitehead down the line. But if Tykee wins the starting nickel job because he's the best man for it and balls out, hats off to him and I would be the first to applaud his success.

Welcome to Tampa, Tykee.

[Snake]

I don’t know, I feel like Winfield does everything this guy is supposed to do… depth is good. I was just hoping for a true coverage safety somewhere..

[Backside]

I don’t know, I feel like Winfield does everything this guy is supposed to do… depth is good. I was just hoping for a true coverage safety somewhere..

I really liked the highlights for Kinchens taken a few picks later, I know some guys here mocked him to us too.

Definitely a guy I will be comparing to Smith to going forward.

[Central_Buc]

Daniel Jeremiah says he’s a plug and play Day 1 Nickel.

That's exactly what I saw when they showed his highlights during pick discussion on ABC. He plays like a NB who's gonna play the run, blitz the QB, cover underneath routes.

That's what I meant by what PR said, saying he can move around in the line up. Not that he can play pure corner

[Central_Buc]

I don’t know, I feel like Winfield does everything this guy is supposed to do… depth is good. I was just hoping for a true coverage safety somewhere..

You never know what Todd is trying to cook up.

[Bootz]

Strong safety & NB

[mdb1958]

Strong safety & NB

LVD with six defensive backs on third down.

[Cheb]

Strong safety & NB

LVD with six defensive backs on third down.

Given our current personnel, that may be the move. Subbing in a safety into the backer spot adjacent to LVD in nickel packages is also possible. Knowing Bowles, both options are on the table moving forward as well as a half dozen others.

[Selmon Rules]

Having 3-4 of 6 DBs on the field able to play both CB and S could be interesting. Who is gonna end up where when the ball is snapped??

[Bootz]

Having 3-4 of 6 DBs on the field able to play both CB and S could be interesting. Who is gonna end up where when the ball is snapped??

If you have a CB who can play on the boundary, you ain't cross training him to play safety. The guys we're cross training are all limited in their coverage abilities, meaning at best they can play in the slot and underneath.