By Alex Al-Kazzaz
With the 24th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select...Tyler Smith! Offensive Tackle. The University of Tulsa. With the likes of Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum and Florida State's Jermaine Johnson still on the board, the Cowboys might not have made a good selection with their first-round pick.
But believe it or not...Mel Kiper Jr. selected Smith in his mock draft. Interesting, right? So if Kiper has faith in the guy, maybe I should too, right? I don't know. Honestly, I am pretty skeptical.
His prospect profile lists him as a second-round projection. Last season, Smith was the FBS's third-most penalized offensive lineman. And the Cowboys' offensive line led the league in penalties last season with a total of 49. The Cowboys have only worsened their already awful off-season.
The Cowboys already have a terrible offensive line. And now, it's probably just gotten worse. Last season, Smith was penalized for holding 12 times. Smith's pre-draft analysis includes weaknesses that can't be ignored.
On a positive note, Smith's pre-draft analysis does provide a respectable amount of positives, but the choice still doesn't look good. At this point, the pick is official, so the Cowboys better come up with a plan to prepare this guy. If he can turn all the doubters into believers, it'll tell quite a story, but that all remains to be seen.
I'll be honest, if Tyler Smith does impress in his rookie year and continues to impress over the years, I will take responsibility for it. In other words, since I am very skeptical, if Smith proves me and all the doubters wrong, I will own up to it. As a matter of fact, I will do it on my show COWBOYS TALK!