Analysis: Seahawks Add Disruptive EDGE Tyreke Smith to Pass Rush Mix
For the third time in as many days, the Seahawks double-dipped at a key position of need using their 158th selection in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Ohio State EDGE rusher Tyreke Smith.
Coming from one of college football's blue blood programs, Smith had to wait his turn for extensive playing time in Columbus behind future NFL draft picks Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Jonathon Cooper. Finally in the lineup as a full-time starter in 2021, he earned Second-Team All-Big Ten recognition after producing 26 tackles, 3.0 sacks, and five tackles for loss.
While those numbers may seem underwhelming - Smith only produced 7.0 sacks in four seasons for the Buckeyes - his sack and tackle for loss totals don't paint the entire picture. In 2020, per Pro Football Focus, he finished second among qualified defenders with a 22.3 percent pressure rate and eclipsed 20 percent again in 2021, generating 36 total quarterback pressures.
Though he didn't emerge as a finisher in college and left plenty of sacks on the field, he consistently disrupted the pocket and sped up the clock for quarterbacks. Playing with a scorching hot motor down to down, he battles to the whistle and often creates hustle pressures that don't show up in the box score. This trait can also be seen in the run game as he regularly hunted down ball carriers in backside pursuit.
Despite running a 4.86-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, Smith plays at a different speed with pads and a helmet on and exhibits underrated quickness. His first step exceeds expectations based on pedestrian testing numbers posted in the pre-draft process and uses his hands effectively at the point of attack, including deploying quality swipe and rip moves to slip past blocks. He will even occasionally uncork a quality spin move to catch opposing tackles lunging for air.
Against the run, Smith has the physical tools at 6-foot-3, 254 pounds to be a stout edge setter, but he only showed that capability in brief glimpses at the college level. Many of his signature run plays were effort plays against the run rather than when teams ran right at him. Off the snap, he got knocked around at times and didn't always hold serve at the line of scrimmage.
Looking at his fit in Seattle, Smith told reporters he will be playing outside linebacker in the team's 3-4 scheme. While he lacks the top-tier athletic traits of Boye Mafe, who the team drafted in the second round on Friday, playing out wide in a two-point stance should give him the best chance for success as a rusher and run defender.
Traditionally, players who struggle to turn pressures into sacks at the college level don't magically rack up sacks in the NFL. But if there's reason for optimism with Smith on that front, he wasn't a full-time player most of his time at Ohio State and did battle through some nagging injuries during his college career.
Playing in a scheme that accentuates his strengths as a rotational rusher out wide, with development as a run defender and further refinement of his pass rushing counters, Smith could grow into a valuable reserve in Clint Hurtt's defense with the versatility to play linebacker or defensive end in nickel/dime packages. With a roster spot up for grabs, expect him to vie for snaps against Mafe and returning rusher Alton Robinson in training camp.
