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TAMPA — In a hotel room at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis last March, Tykee Smith was asked to watch film from his games at the University of Georgia and describe the coverage concepts the Bulldogs were running.
Many young college athletes may have trouble locating their car keys or forget to charge their phone. But Smith’s total recall was an easy withdrawal from his memory bank.
“It was pretty apparent at the combine meeting, like you can see, we have the information and I’ve sat in so many of those now, you can tell when they’re lying to you or trying to B.S. they’re way through Cover 2 or Cover 3,” said John Spytek, the Bucs assistant general manager. “You’re like, ‘I don’t want to talk about Cover 2.’
“There’s a lot of times, guys will look at that and have no idea. They can’t remember it. Then there’s some guys that remember the play. It could be Play 60 in the middle of the SEC Championship and it’s like third and 2 and there’s no reason for them to remember it and they don’t even do anything. But his memory was spectacular.”
It is only two weeks into training camp and the Bucs have solved their position battle at the nickel cornerback position.
Officially, there is a competition brewing between Smith, incumbent defensive back Christian Izien and Texans free agent Tavierre Thomas. Realistically, it’s over.
Not only is Smith’s football IQ off the charts, but his knowledge of the game has enabled him to perform like a player well beyond his years.
“When I got college, I kind of learned how to watch film,” said Smith, who transferred from West Virginia to Georgia, where he won two national championships. “I think I was real good at it at West Virginia. But once I got to Georgia, that went to another level, getting to learn from coach (Kirby) Smart and Coach…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bucs-rookie-tykee-smith-football-193800148.html
Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Publish date : 2024-08-02 19:38:00
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