2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Tyreke Smith

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NAME: Tyreke Smith

POSITION: Defensive End

SCHOOL: Ohio State

HEIGHT: 6’3”

WEIGHT: 254 pounds

CAREER BACKGROUND

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Tyreke Smith attended Cleveland Heights High School. During his senior season of high school football in 2017, he recorded 70 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 11 sacks defensively. He also hauled in eight receptions for 192 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns as a tight end on offense. For his defensive efforts, Smith earned 2017 Cleveland.com Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named All-Ohio Division I Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

247Sports rated him as a four-star recruit. To boot, they ranked him as the fourth best defensive end prospect in the nation and as the 34th best prospect in the nation overall. Smith eventually opted to stay in his home state and play for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Rotational Piece

As a true freshman in 2018, Smith immediately saw playing time on the Ohio State defense. He did not receive any starts that year. However, in 11 games he still managed nine tackles. His production increased a bit in 2019. Smith once again played in 11 games, while making four starts. In total, the defender tallied 12 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and two pass deflections.

Consistent Starter

Despite a shortened season in 2020, Smith was able to maintain his new role as a consistent starter on the Ohio State defense. He played in seven games total, while starting in six contests. Smith would register nine tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass deflection and one forced fumble. Afterwards, he had his most productive season as a senior in 2021. Smith played in 10 games and made nine starts. Overall, he would finish with 26 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass deflections and one forced fumble. Smith earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for 2021. Subsequently, he took part in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

SCOUTING REPORT

Instead of listing positives and negatives for traits, this year we will be listing the best trait of each prospect and work our way down to the biggest area of improvement/absent trait(s), from top to bottom.

First Step Explosiveness

The release off the line of scrimmage at the snap is arguably the most refined part of Smith’s game. He is able to create plenty of explosiveness and force with his first step. For instance, you see him stress opposing blockers and knock them backwards. Smith can also drive them off their base and create advantageous angles for him to work through and rush the quarterback from. On the other hand, his ability to control his speed and crash in any possible direction that the defense needs is a sneaky good element to the makeup of Smith.

Length

Smith is not necessarily a dense defender. Yet, he makes up for it with the otherworldly length that he is gifted with. Smith is able to combine reasonable hand power and strength with this arm length to wear down blockers early on throughout the course of games. Meanwhile, the defensive end is able to affect plays in a multitude of ways, because of his wingspan. Smith has steadily improved when it comes to getting his arms in throwing lanes, thus forcing quarterbacks to be aware of how they release the pass in his direction. He has also grown with the effectiveness that he has had when attempting to set a firm edge as a run defender.

Flexibility

There are many different tracks and pass rush plans that Smith uses to his advantage. The ability to bend around the corner is there. While not a constant threat in that regard, he has shown a greater focus in getting low and dipping beneath the shoulders of opposing offensive tackles. Smith is more dangerous when it comes to his ability to execute stunts and twists upfront. He can work with an outside-in technique, where the pass rusher is able to slice to the middle of the pocket and cover plenty of ground quickly. Smith has also shown comfort when using an inside-out technique. His smooth footwork and fluid hips certainly aid him in those aspects.

Lateral Mobility

Piggybacking off of that fluidity a bit more, the ability to flip his hips or trigger hard across the field is evident. Smith is extremely clean when it comes to needing to cross an opponent’s face. The same can be said when he is asked to crash sharply with tight angles from around the corner. Furthermore, Smith is proven to be just as confident when working from tight angles on the inside of the blocking formation, as he is when working from wide angles. He can hold his own when needing to control gaps, as a result.

Football IQ

His continued improvement in terms of technique is one thing. But, Smith has shown steady growth with his reactionary skills and initial reads. There has been noticeable results from both a pass rush and a run defending perspective. First off, Smith has been more urgent to getting his hands into the opponent’s chest and swiping and ripping the opponent’s hands off of his own chest as well. He has also been more under control as a run defender too. For example, Smith has worked to not get up the field too quickly, while still recognizing play direction early on during reps.

Versatility

The capability to use different techniques against offensive linemen is well documented. Elsewhere, Smith has been able to attack blockers from different alignments and statures. He can play from a wide-9 technique or 5-technique. Smith can also rush from a four-point stance, a three-point stance and a two-point stance. Finally, he showed to be at ease when asked to drop into coverage, especially against running backs into the flats.

Hand Counters

The most effective pass rush hand counter moves that Smith utilized were a club and rip move, a dip and rip move, a swipe move, and a slingshot move. He has some refinement to add to that side of his game, however. Being able to fire his hands earlier during one-on-one situations will be crucial moving forward. On top of that, Smith has been inconsistent when it comes to being able to string hand counter moves together. His recent improvement could help give him a solid base to work from, though.

Run Defending

Stringing moves together involves more than just pass rush variety. In fact, Smith has been working to clean up his run defense as well. He has often been late to getting off of blocks and catching blockers within his chest. Smith has shown more awareness, when it comes to his body positioning and recognition of landmarks. At the same time, he will need to clean that up further moving forward. Being able to crash hard like he does may give him some leeway as he transitions into the NFL.

CHIEFS FIT

Tyreke Smith may not have the size that Steve Spagnuolo has consistently looked for within his defensive ends. But, there is a chance that the Kansas City Chiefs double up at the position in this draft and pair Smith with an earlier selection at the position. He is also surprisingly strong and powerful at the point of attack, which should give him a boost in the Chiefs 4-3 defensive scheme. Smith also has versatility as a pass rusher and can win with athleticism, speed or explosiveness at the point of attack. With many tools in his toolbox, Kansas City could use him in a wide array of ways and continue to work on his refinement.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.