Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) celebrates an interception of a ball intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) with cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) and linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (9) during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Versatile Tampa Bay Buccaneers DB tabbed as potential breakout player for 2025

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Collin Haalboom | Last updated Jul 15, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of talented younger players on both sides of the ball with both the ability and the opportunity to really break out in 2025.

Bucky Irving, Yaya Diaby, Graham Barton, Zyon McCollum and Jalen McMillan are just some of the Buccaneers' young players who are well-positioned to take a major step forward this season.

The Athletic recently published a piece that focuses specifically on identifying one breakout player this year from each team in the NFL. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, none of the players mentioned above made the cut. Instead, second-year defensive back Tykee Smith was chosen as the Buccaneers' most promising breakout candidate for 2025.

"Smith was too productive as a rookie nickel corner in 2024 not to have a more substantial role in 2025." wrote Dan Pompei, the NFL analyst responsible for describing this selection on behalf of the Bucs. "He had two interceptions, seven pass breakups, four tackles for loss and three forced fumbles, which led coach Todd Bowles to think about getting him on the field more. Smith, who played safety at Georgia, will have an opportunity to be on the field for all four downs, perhaps as a safety-nickel combination player."

Pompei is wise to suggest Smith's positional versatility as an assett. Despite playing predominantly as a nickel corner during his rookie season, the expectation is that Smith is most likely to move back to the safety position to form a dynamic tandem alongside Antoine Winfield Jr.. Conversely, Jason Licht's third round draft pick out of Kansas State, Jacob Parrish, will likely have the cleanest path to taking over as the team's primary defender this year.

Pompei also points to Smith's entire body of work as valuable experience that could contribute to his ascension this season.

"In addition to production, he also has a pedigree. He was a four-star recruit by Rivals, an All-American (and two-time national champion) at Georgia and a third-round draft pick. Playing next to a healthy Antoine Winfield Jr. could bring out Smith’s best." Pompei wrote.

Tykee Smith was extremely productive as a rookie for the Bucs last year. Despite the challenges that come with making a position change heading into year two, there's plenty of reason to be optimistic regarding Smith's potential to establish himself even further and ultimately cement his status as a valuable chess piece within Todd Bowles' defensive scheme.