Catching Up For Ryan Smith
August 7th, 2016
Behind but still time to catch up.
Joe thought one of the sleeper picks in this spring’s draft for the Bucs was Ryan Smith in the fourth round. The cornerback from North Carolina Central was quickly targeted to play safety.
And while Bucs coach Dirk Koetter seemed to like what Smith was doing, his defensive coordinator cautioned there is a ways to go, partially due to an injury that caused him to miss OTAs.
Smith has flashed in training camp, which is good for him since it has caught the attention of Koetter.
“Well Ryan is playing a little bit of catch up,’ Koetter said. “When those guys miss OTAs due to injuries, even though they are in all the meetings and everything, it just takes some time to catch up mentally. You definitely see his athleticism flash every day. The guy has got really good speed, it shows up in special teams, he’s getting a ton of reps right now – we’re trying to bring him along as fast as we can. Preseason games will be awesome for him.”
Now Mike Smith wasn’t as kind. Yes, the Bucs defensive coordinator had positive words for the rookie, but there was more caution in his voice when Joe spoke with him earlier last week. The thing about Mike Smtih wasn’t so much his words but his body language. He is a positive guy and his body language changed to guarded when discussing the rookie. It was telling.
“He is a hitter,” Mike Smith said. “He can run and he has talent. But he’s a guy that is going to be a little behind because he hasn’t had the reps others had in OTAs.”
This is why preseason and the controlled scrimmages against the Jags and Browns will be so important for Ryan Smith. He can do a lot to fight for a job with good showings against teams with different colored jerseys.
August 7th, 2016 at 6:30 am
Joe, I also noticed the change in Mike Smith’s expression when asked about Ryan Smith. He looked like someone just punched his dog. When I saw that I thought uh-oh, that doesn’t look/sound good for the young rookie. Hopefully its just that he is a little behind as they said and he’ll come around.
August 7th, 2016 at 6:36 am
Do not put this guy on the practice squad…….some team will snatch him up! Find a way to keep this cat on the roster!
August 7th, 2016 at 6:42 am
I totally agree BigHog.
August 7th, 2016 at 7:35 am
Who cares honestly it’s all about Jameis! Guys he is a 4th rounder -_-
August 7th, 2016 at 8:16 am
We need the talent, hopefully he has the mental capacity to “catch up” let’s go Ryan!
We got faith!
August 7th, 2016 at 8:57 am
Guess the Bucs are wasting their time with last year’s 4th rounder as well
August 7th, 2016 at 8:58 am
I care Strider, dude is a heart filled wilful tackler. Outstanding speed, and has cover ability. We have guys back there wit NFL experience no rush to get him on the field in his rookie season. We should be striving to become a team that develops its young and allow them to blossom when the time is right for them to do so. I don’t want our squad to become the Packers placing everything mainly on the ability of the QB. I want young hungry talent all over the this team for years to come.
August 7th, 2016 at 9:17 am
This kid is from a very small school in NC. And most times it takes these guys a little time to learn..not being exposed to different systems in college. From what I hear, this kid has NFL talent. He just needs time. I bet some other team swopes him up quick if/when we let him go.
August 7th, 2016 at 9:53 am
Im with Big Hog, I also hope Kenny Bell breaks out when it counts. Dissapointed he has not progressed in camp
August 7th, 2016 at 10:31 am
Screw this!
I’m starting the #RYANSMITHMOB
Who’s with me
August 7th, 2016 at 11:19 am
Precisely what MJ said. And 210 I’ll gladly ride wit ya.
August 7th, 2016 at 3:39 pm
Put me in the Ryan Smith mob!!!! I think dude is gonna develop into something special. he has all of the measurables, and his highlights look like a man amongst boys, which it should at the level of schools he played against.
August 7th, 2016 at 4:52 pm
210 Im in. Been wanting to see what this kid could do since after we drafted him and watched his highlights. Would love to see him become a bone crushing SS with speed for the bucs
August 8th, 2016 at 12:54 am
Ryan also is a great returner and should be a starter there too but so far the Bucs seemed stuck on Bell there. They need to give this kid a shot!!!
August 8th, 2016 at 7:36 am
No need to panic, he is cetainly apart of the future @ safety and hopefully will be our starter in a couple years. But coming from such a small school he has to adjust to the league wich will take time. He’s not gonna start this year unless there’s some catastrophic injury at safety. But he should still get his playing time in and slowly but surely adjust to the speed and talent of the elite. He’s taking a huge step up in competition. Gotta be patient. Love the tools he has tho, he certainly looks promising. Wich is big considering what we currently have at safety with McDougald most likely being the only guy around in a couple years. He still hasn’t hit his ceiling yet either and has flashed some talent. He just vottake be more con distention more than anything. That certainly could be our future combo with Smith and McDougald. Smaller type Quicker guys with ball hawking skills but will still pop u if given the chance. My style of safety.