Georgia DB Tykee Smith selected by Tampa Bay Bucs in third round of 2024 NFL Draft
After five years of college ball and three at Georgia, Tykee Smith‘s NFL dreams have come true. The Philadelphia native was picked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He is the sixth Bulldog taken in the draft and the third defensive back.
Smith began his college career at West Virginia where he played a highly-specialized nickel role that allowed him to spend most of his time near the line of scrimmage. He was a Freshman All American in his first season before earning second-team All-American honors in 2020, his sophomore season.
Georgia needed experienced help in the defensive backfield headed into the 2021 season, so it tapped into a previous connection with then defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae to get Smith out of the transfer portal. Addae had coached Smith in Morgantown the previous two seasons.
Smith chose Georgia in the spring of 2021 but his first season in Athens did not go well. He suffered a broken foot during preseason camp, causing him to miss the first few games of the season. Once he was healthy enough to play, it wasn’t long before Smith suffered a torn ACL that ended his initial season in Athens.
It took the former three-star prospect some time before he returned to form. He played some STAR/nickel for Georgia in 2022, starting one game, but his role really grew significantly in 2023. Smith started every game for the Bulldogs and finished the season as the team’s leading tackler. Smith racked up 70 total stops (46 solo) on the year. He also led the team in interceptions with four and ranked No. 1 in tackles for loss with 8.5 while adding two sacks, two pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries.
Smith used a strong pre-draft process to get himself selected. He posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.46 seconds at the NFL Combine earlier this year.
