Exclusive: Inside the NFL Combine | Tye Smith

The Siberian Express winds made its presence felt in Indianapolis. The temperature was only five degrees. A long way from the Naples, Florida sun where shutdown cornerback Tye Smith transformed his body to compete at the NFL Combine.

Each day before training, he woke up at 6:30am ready to improve his skills. Before starting his day, he always gave thanks to be blessed to have the ability to compete and earn a spot in the NFL.

The tattoo ‘family’ on his body means the most to him. This journey is a family event and he’s happy to share his experiences with them. Tye walked a road less traveled. He was offered one scholarship out of high school and it was from Towson. That was all the motivation he needed to help mold him into the player he was in college. Tye is known for playing the number one ranked wide receiver Kevin White the toughest during the 2014 season.  In addition, he finished his career with 312 tackles, which ranked fifth in school history. Since his last college game at Towson, he played in the 2015 East-West Shrine game. His solid play both at practice and in the game enabled him to attend the 2015 NFL Combine. He was only one of 330 athletes invited to participate in the biggest job interview.  NFL personnel were all over the stadium taking notes with stopwatches around their necks.

While at the Combine, he met with various companies who were searching to sign athletes to marketing deals. Tye visited the Adidas suite where reps pitched him all the benefits of being endorsed by Adidas. He also was informed about the Porsche incentive, which goes to the three fastest 40 times. None of this really was of any interest because Tye had his eyes focused on the Under Armour brand. From the comfort to the technology Under Armour is Tye’s brand. Proper footwear and apparel is crucial, especially when it comes to a tenth of a second, which calculates to drafted or undrafted status.

Why are positive scores at the NFL Combine important? This past college season 66,313 college players laced up their cleats only 300 will make an NFL roster. The stakes are extremely high especially when you factor in six figures and million dollar contracts.

Sean Stellato is the author of celebrated football novel “No Backing down,” and an NFL Sports Agent (NFLPA) whose client roster includes multiple active Super Bowl Champion players.

– @seanstellato