Georgia football's Tykee Smith earns Senior Bowl MVP honors for American Team

John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK

Georgia defensive back Tykee Smith is bringing home some hardware from the Senior Bowl.

Coming off a career season for the Bulldogs, Smith continued his momentum on Saturday — this time in front of all 32 NFL teams — as he broke up three passes in the Senior Bowl showcase game.

With that stat line, Smith earned American Team MVP honors.

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Tykee Smith NFL draft projection

During 11-on-11 drills throughout the week, Smith took reps at both nickel corner and safety. The Philadelphia native is projected either as a third or fourth-round prospect in several NFL draft scouting reports. He was listed as one of ESPN's Mel Kipper's Top 10 safeties for this year's draft, but fell off the list in his latest version Friday.

On Saturday, Smith had several pass breakups, including one to end the first quarter on a deep ball thrown by Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman.

Tykee Smith flies in for PBU to close out first quarter

NFL draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote that Smith caught his eye on "several occasions" at the Senior Bowl.

"I didn’t think there was a clear-cut “winner” among the safeties, as all of them seemed to have up-and-down moments. But Smith caught my eye on a few occasions, particularly with his compete skills at the catch point," Brugler wrote.

"After playing the 'star' nickel position at Georgia, Smith appeared comfortable negotiating space in coverage during drills, which highlighted the instincts and finishing skills that made him an All-SEC player in 2023. He looks like a rookie special teamer who has the versatility to compete for immediate snaps in an NFL secondary."

Smith's performance down in Alabama should help boost his draft stock heading into the NFL combine, which begins later this month in Indianapolis.

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Tykee Smith college stats

The Imhotep Charter product split his college career at West Virginia and Georgia, three of which were spent in Athens.

  • 2023: 70 total tackles, 8 ½ tackles for loss, four interceptions, two pass breakups and a pair of tackles

  • 2022: 28 tackles

  • 2021: Injured

  • 2020: 61 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and two interceptions

  • 2019: 53 total tackles, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football S Tykee Smith earns Senior Bowl American Team MVP

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