Locals picked in NFL draft: Tykee Smith shares moment with daughter; Jordan Magee ends Temple drought

Tykee Smith hunched over, breathed a sigh of relief, stood up smiling, and then grabbed his 2-year-old daughter, Zyla. Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles had just called Smith “West Philly’s finest” during a phone call, and Smith, inside his family’s West Philadelphia home, wanted to share his big moment.

Smith, a former star defensive back at Imhotep Charter turned national champion at Georgia, stood with Zyla in his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and pointed his phone’s camera at the television screen to film that moment.

Smith was selected 89th overall by Tampa, the team that eliminated his hometown Eagles in this past season’s playoffs, and a room full of family and friends erupted.

“Life changing call,” Smith posted on X. “Glad I was able to experience that moment with my daughter.”

» READ MORE: Philly native Marvin Harrison Jr. goes to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft

“His motivation is his daughter,” said Cyril Woodland, Imhotep’s associate head coach. “Seeing him share that moment with his daughter and close family and friends was amazing.”

Woodland said Smith was pretty relaxed throughout the day. Woodland, Smith, and Smith’s agent met for lunch at Parc, where Smith enjoyed some shrimp cocktail and salmon. Then Smith, Woodland said, was pretty calm during the early part of the draft’s second day. But Woodland said nerves were starting to set in for Smith as the picks in the third round kept coming and going. Smith, who started his college career at West Virginia, was a projected Day 3 prospect, but strong showings at the Senior Bowl — where he was the American Team MVP — and NFL Scouting Combine had changed things.

The call finally came, setting off the celebration.

Smith, a 5-foot-10, 202-pound hybrid defensive back, played two seasons at West Virginia and three at Georgia, the first of which was cut short due to a knee injury.

“He overcame a lot to get to this point,” Woodland said. “Just to get to this point and be able to take care of his family, I’m speechless.

“The Bucs are getting a hell of a player. Smart, intelligent, a dog, he checks all the boxes.”

» READ MORE: From 2022: Defensive back Tykee Smith’s long road back for the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs

Temple had four players selected in the 2020 NFL draft, marking the fifth straight year the school had multiple players picked.

But the last three seasons went by without any Temple players being selected in the seven-round draft.

Jordan Magee stopped the trend.

Magee, a linebacker who led the Owls with 80 tackles in 2023, was selected by the Washington Commanders with the fourth pick in the fifth round (No. 139 overall). It’s a bit of a homecoming for Magee, who was born in Towson, Md., before moving to Dover, Del., where he threw for 1,208 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior quarterback while also playing safety.

Magee in 2022 earned the prestigious single-digit honor at Temple, which gives single-digit jersey numbers to players that best represent the program on and off the field.

He was named second-team all-American Athletic Conference in 2023.

“Jordan is a great young man,” Temple coach Stan Drayton said in a statement. “A man of high character, he holds himself accountable. He’s grown as a leader to a point where he holds others accountable. On the field, he combines size, speed, a strong will, and football IQ that can make him an NFL linebacker for a long time.”

Temple linebacker Yvandy Rigby, an Egg Harbor Township High School grad, later signed with Baltimore as an undrafted free agent.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft legacy LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the fifth round

James Franklin and Penn State continue to send a lot of players to the NFL.

For the eighth time in the 10 drafts since Franklin took over the program, Penn State saw at least five players selected.

On Thursday night, offensive lineman Olu Fashanu was selected 11th overall by the New York Jets and edge rusher Chop Robinson was selected 21st by Miami.

Then, on Friday, offensive lineman Caedan Wallace (New England) and edge rusher Adisa Isaac (Baltimore) were drafted in the third round.

Day 3 started with tight end Theo Johnson being taken with the seventh pick of the fourth round, 107th overall, by the New York Giants.

Later, center Hunter Nourzad, who transferred to Penn State from Cornell, was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round (159th overall); cornerback Daequan Hardy was a sixth-round selection by the Bills (219th); and cornerback Kalen King was a seventh-round selection (255th) by the Green Bay Packers.

Two-time New Jersey state champion quarterback Devin Leary is heading to Baltimore.

Leary, a Timber Creek graduate, was selected by the Ravens late in the sixth round Saturday, 218th overall.

He finished his college career at Kentucky after playing four seasons at North Carolina State. As a senior, Leary threw for 2,746 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He completed 56.3% of his throws, the lowest since his freshman season at N.C. State. But the 25 touchdown passes were the most by a Kentucky quarterback since 2007.

Leary was a semifinalist for the Comeback Player of the Year Watch List. He returned in 2023 after suffering a torn pectoral muscle six games into the 2022 season.

Leary was a New Jersey record-setter, leaving as a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year who was the state’s all-time leader in passing yards (9,672) and touchdown passes (117).

Now, he’ll have a chance to compete for a backup job behind two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

Leary’s former Timber Creek teammate, cornerback Tarheeb Still, was drafted one round earlier by the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 137 overall. Still, an All-Big Ten honoree, played four seasons for Maryland and had five interceptions in his senior year.