Green Bay Packers 2022 Draft Prospects to Know: OT Tyler Smith

Addressing the offensive tackle position is something that should still be on the Green Bay Packers’ to-do list this offseason. In fact, when meeting with reporters on Tuesday, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said that the team still needed to add a “guy or two” at that position.

At the moment, the only healthy and true offensive tackles on the Packers roster are David Bakhtiari and Yosh Nijman–we still do not know when Elgton Jenkins will be available. In addition to simply building the depth at one of the game’s most important positions, bringing in competition for Nijman wouldn’t be a bad idea either, as he is still developing and hasn’t played right tackle since his final year at Virginia Tech.

The draft is also about planning ahead, and looking beyond the 2022 season; Bakhtiari is the only offensive tackle currently under contract in 2023. This is just another reason to address this position.

As I wrote recently, if Green Bay utilizes one of their seven picks within the first four rounds on a tackle and signs a veteran free agent following the draft, just as they did in 2021 with Dennis Kelly, the depth of this unit and the competition within quickly improves.

If the Green Bay Packers are willing to spend one of their early-round picks on an offensive tackle, then Tulsa’s Tyler Smith should be on their radar.

At the combine, Smith measured in at 6’4″ – 324 pounds and posted a RAS of 8.77, which included a 5.02-second 40-yard dash. He has three years of playing experience at Tulsa, with 1,522 career snaps, according to PFF ($$), with 810 of them coming in the 2021 season.

Last season, Smith was one of PFF’s highest-graded offensive tackles overall, as well as one of the highest-graded run-blockers at the position as well. In pass protection, he allowed two sacks and only nine pressures as the left tackle–although it’s worth mentioning that Smith was called for 16 penalties.

For a closer look at Smith’s game, here is what Joe Marino of The Draft Network had to say about him in his pre-draft report:

"“He is a tenacious football player who seemingly looks for pancake blocks on every snap. He is aggressive and fully earns labels like “mauler” and “road grader”. From day one, he will make an NFL offense tougher and more physical. As a run blocker, Smith is explosive into contact and has the power to overwhelm opponents. As a pass blocker, Smith is aggressive and is a wall once he sets the clamps.“When it comes to areas of concern, Smith has to find notably better technique. From placement to timing, his hands are erratic. His feet aren’t synced up with his upper body and it leads to control problems and issues if blockers can work to his edges. His aggressive style of play often reaches frenetic levels and takes away from his power and ability to sustain blocks.”"

If needed, Smith could make the transition to guard, but I don’t believe that the be a necessity either–he has the size, length, and athleticism to stick at tackle. Also, if the Packers are spending a second-round pick on Smith, for example, my guess is that it will be their intention to keep him at offensive tackle.

In a perfect world, the Green Bay Packers will want to add someone who can compete with Nijman for playing time; however, in Year 1, Smith could require some time. As Marino notes, his technique still needs a lot of work, and to truly maximize what he can do at the NFL level, in all likelihood, some time is going to be needed.

With that said, the Green Bay Packers should be able to provide that. Eventually, Jenkins will return, and as already mentioned, a low-cost Dennis Kelly-like free agency addition could be that immediate impact player, along with already having Bakhtiari and Nijman.

Of course, we want all early-round picks to make an impact right away, but the draft is about projecting who the player will become, not who they are on draft night. And when it comes to Smith, he is loaded with upside and checks many of the boxes that the Packers look for in an early-round selection.