Bucs Training Camp: Can Tykee Smith have the same impact Antoine Winfield Jr. had during his rookie year?
When looking at the track record of Jason Licht's drafting of defensive backs in Rounds 2-7, it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager has done a pretty good job of picking his guys.Since 2014, Licht has drafted Antoine Winfield Jr., Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, Mike Edwards, Jordan Whitehead, Sean Murphy-Bunting and […]
When looking at the track record of Jason Licht's drafting of defensive backs in Rounds 2-7, it's safe to say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager has done a pretty good job of picking his guys.
Since 2014, Licht has drafted Antoine Winfield Jr., Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, Mike Edwards, Jordan Whitehead, Sean Murphy-Bunting and Zyon McCollum. Six of those seven names not only finished out their rookie contracts, but helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl in 2020 while playing key roles. Winfield Jr. is quickly on his way to becoming a member of the Ring of Honor, while Davis and Dean both received big-time contracts in Tampa Bay. McCollum is currently penciled in as one of the starters for 2024 and appears to be set for a breakout season.
Hell, one could even say the drafting of Ryan Smith was successful, as the fourth-rounder played a key role on special teams during his time with the Bucs.
Sure, there have been misses. Injuries derailed Justin Evans' promising career. M.J. Stewart is the biggest "fail" of the group and the jury is still out on Josh Hayes. Overall, however, Licht has knocked it out of the park.
So, it's easy to see why there is a ton of hype surrounding third-round rookie, Tykee Smith, heading into the 2024 season. It's not just Licht's reputation and pedigree drafting DBs – it's also about Smith's abilities, which have been on full display throughout camp.
Typically, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles watches his words when it comes to praising his guys, but he didn't hold back when talking about Smith after Tuesday night's practice.
“It’s a huge edge," Bowles told reporters when asked about Smith's football IQ. "He’s come in and he’s picked everything up without missing a beat. He has the experience of a seven-or-eight year player, so it seems. He has some things to learn, but he plays so calm and he plays under control. He knows where everything is and can read everything, along with his toughness.
"He’s a perfect fit for us.”
Smith is currently vying for the Bucs' nickel job and he's leading the pack. So far, it's been a pretty easy transition for him, which is pretty wild to think about when understanding he's a rookie trying to find his footing in a complex defense such as Bowles'. At the same time, though, his time at Georgia plays a big role in his development since Kirby Smart runs a similar defense.
“[I’ve] been adjusting really well. [We’re] running something similar to what I ran at Georgia, just different terminology but similar system – very similar," Smith told reporters. "… I wouldn’t necessarily say [anything] has been difficult – just coming out and looking for new challenges [like] the installs that we’ve been putting in. So, just trying to come out there and make sure that I put my best foot forward.”
With Smith hitting the ground running, there is just one question to ask: Can he have the same impact Winfield Jr. had in 2020?
Tykee Smith can have close to, if not the same, impact Antoine Winfield Jr. had in 2020
Winfield Jr. didn't make the Pro Bowl his rookie year, but his impact was undeniable, as he finished fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and logged 94 total tackles, one interception, 3.0 sacks, six pass break-ups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, one tackle for loss, and four QB hits. He did all of that while playing 1,034 defensive snaps, or 97%, over the course of all 16 regular season games.
Smith may not finish with the exact same stat line in 2024, but he's in line to make a big impact off the stat sheet, simply based off playing the nickel position. From the inside, Smith will have the chance to log sacks, tackles for loss, regular tackles, interceptions, and forced fumbles. And, he'll be on the field for the majority of defensive snaps since today's NFL is a pass-heavy league that requires subpackages to be deployed at least 60% of the time. For context sake, Christian Izien logged 714 defensive snaps, or 64%, during his rookie year, last year.
The presence of both Winfield Jr. and Whitehead will also allow Bowles to mix things up on the back end, where I'm sure we'll see Smith log some snaps at safety, at some points. That only ratchets up the potential for big plays, which only backs Smith's case for a big year.
Of course, not everything that develops in training camp translates onto the field during the regular season, but it's hard to see Smith being anything more than an impactful player in 2024.
