Senior Bowl News and Notes: Tykee Smith's goals; McConkey impresses

MOBILE , Al.– During a recent trip back to his hometown of Philadelphia, Tykee Smith decided to check in with some old friends.

Little did he know that former teammate Nolan Smith, who just wrapped up his rookie year with the Philadelphia Eagles, had other plans.

“Yeah, there was like a snowstorm in Philly, and Nolan called me to come up and see some snow,” Smith said following Tuesday’s first day of practice for Saturday’s Senior Bowl (1 p.m., NFL Network). “I had to shovel snow.”

Fortunately for Smith, there was no snow to have to deal with at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama. But the Eagles are there, and for players like Smith, one of six Georgia players taking part in the annual all-star game, it’s an opportunity to impress.

From the looks of it, that’s just what Smith was able to do.

“My goal is to show them that I can play a lot of positions,” Smith said. “I want to show that what I did at Georgia can translate into playing that high safety, that I can play there full-time.”

Coaches from the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets are serving as instructors during the week.

Smith and the rest of his American teammates are being coached by the staff from Tennessee.

Along with Smith, other former Bulldogs taking part in the event are safety Javon Bullard, wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, running back Daijun Edwards, and long snapper William Mote.

Smith said Tuesday’s practice struck a familiar chord.

“It definitely reminded me of some of the team run periods, and the physicality, that you see at Georgia,” Smith said. “You’ve definitely got to be ready for that when you’re at Georgia.”

Like most players, Smith is hoping a strong performance in Mobile will boost his stock in April’s NFL Draft.

A second-team All-SEC selection, Smith started 12 of Georgia’s 14 games, leading the team in tackles (70) and interceptions (4).

“I just want to show what I can do,” Smith said. “We’re all out here trying to make an impression.”

Smith said he’s counting on the lessons he learned at Georgia to help prepare for what he hopes will be a long NFL career.

“I learned a lot,” Smith said. “The structure with how to run a program; the discipline. It’s all important, and we have that at Georgia.”

That wasn’t all Smith learned playing for the Bulldogs.

“It showed me patience,” said Smith, who dealt with knee and foot injuries during the early part of his Bulldog career.

“Like I was talking about earlier," he continued, "they (Georgia coaches) gave me the chance to learn multiple positions,” he said. “I was able to learn and play star, along with safety. I played nickel linebacker. Being able to play all those positions is going to allow me to be successful. Being there with Coach Smart and that program really helped me.”

Both Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint made some nice catches during Tuesday’s first day.

McConkey’s diving catch drew some oohs and aahs from those in attendance.

In fact, McConkey was named one of the day’s top receivers after impressing coaches with his route running and ability to create separation running to both his right and left.

…Daijun Edwards enjoyed a solid first day, breaking off several nice runs during 11 on 11 drills. He’s coming off a season that saw him rush 165 times for 880 yards and 13 touchdowns, ranking second on the team.

…Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann was in attendance.

…Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman was the fastest quarterback with a time of 18.9 mph. Washington’s Michael Penix topped out at 16.03, and former Oregon/Washington quarterback Bo Nix at 13.53.