Tye Smith to Seattle Seahawks: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

If the strength of the Seattle Seahawks is the team's defense and the strength of that defense is its secondary, then it should be no surprise that general manager John Schneider wants depth there to be a draft-day priority.

The Seahawks reached for that depth late in Round 5, adding former Towson cornerback Tye Smith.

Smith is your typical small-school prospect. He is relatively raw and has a number of issues to overcome, but he has enough upside to draw interest from a team like Seattle.

Though he doesn't possess elite speed (Smith ran a 4.60-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine) or physicality, he is a tall and long (6'0", 195 lbs) cover guy who can make a play on the ball.

Shutting down receivers and forcing turnovers, of course, is what the Seahawks love to do on the back end. 

The problem for Smith is that he is extremely thin and lacks the type of physicality that the Seahawks like on their defense. He isn't an overly physical tackler, and he may have trouble with aggressive receivers.

Still, as Kevin Weidl of ESPN.com recently pointed out, Smith's strengths make him a good overall fit for Seattle's secondary.

Bleacher Report Lead NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller sees a lot of upside with Smith, and he wrote the following in his predraft analysis:

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A fluid, quick cornerback on the prowl, Tye Smith is impressive in zone coverage and active in the run game. Smith had an eye-opening game against Kevin White of West Virginia and showed that he can handle a bigger receiver with leverage and technique. He’s physical, aggressive and loves the challenge. Smith can be used in the slot and will attack as a blitzer there with a high success rate. 

Tight hips and sloppy feet hurt Smith on the field. He doesn’t have the top-end speed to play over the top or run with receivers on the edge but did show better on tape than at the combine (4.6 seconds). His backpedal gets high at times, and he’ll get sloppy with his hands and become a grabber at the top of the route stem. For his size, Smith doesn’t play strong.

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If Smith can add a little muscle to his frame and refine his technique, he should have a chance to earn a role as a rotational player on the Seattle defense. His height, range and cover skills should help make up for Smith's lack of speed and power.

However, he is likely to begin his career as a backup and possible special teams contributor. There is a lot of talent ahead of him on the depth chart, but Smith should have a very good chance to stick and develop with the defending NFC champions.