Seattle Seahawks Next Pass-Rushing Menace, Tyreke Smith
Austin Stein
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With the 158th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Edge Rusher Tyreke Smith from “The” Ohio State University.
When the Seattle Seahawks drafted Ohio State Buckeyes edge rusher, Tyreke Smith, in the fifth round, many 12s were perplexed. They already had Darrell Taylor and drafted Boye Mafe in the second recond. However, they might have found a diamond in the rough.
The Cleveland native didn’t start playing football in his junior year at Cleveland Heights High School. Smith quickly showed potential and became Ohio Co-Division I Defensive Player of the Year in his senior season. In his short two-year high school career, Smith had 70 tackles (23 for a loss) and 11 sacks.
Smith moved on to Ohio State in 2018 and played in 41 games, starting 17. With the Buckeyes, he made 56 tackles (29 solo) and 8 sacks. His career high of five tackles and one sack came in a dominating performance against Nebraska on November 6, 2021.
As part of three Big 10 championship teams (2018–2020), Smith also played in the 2020 College Football Championship against Alabama.
Poor Combine
Tyreke Smith came into the NFL Combine at a hulking 6’3” and 254 pounds, however, his performance was slightly lackluster. A 4.86 40 time, along with 37” vertical, and 117” broad jumps failed to impress the scouts. NFL.com ranked him 12th among edge rushers and his prospect grade of 6.0 judged his talent to be slightly above that of the average NFL backup.
Scouting Report
While not always the first to fire off the line, Smith shows an impressive propensity to shed blocks quickly to make plays or add pressure to a QB. Smith can slip past blockers like he’s covered in grease. Then he hits with the force of a small truck.
He also has great ball awareness. Smith has the ability to force himself into a ball carrier even when he gets caught up in a block. This makes him ideal for playing as a weak-side edge rusher in Seattle’s 4-3 defense. With further development and coaching, Tyreke Smith will offer some depth to Seattle’s roster for years to come. He should immediately push veteran Alton Robinson for playing time.
“Smith was a solid defender for Ohio State and made a good number of plays behind the line of scrimmage. He projects as a pass-rush specialist at the next level with possibilities in a variety of schemes.” – Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network
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