NFL Draft 2022 tracker: Live blog and pick-by-pick analysis
Despite several notable defensive players on the board, the Cowboys used the 24th overall pick on Tulsa offensive lineman Tyler Smith. This one was a little bit of a surprise considering some of the other options still available, but it shows how much the Cowboys feel like they need to upgrade an offensive line that was a significant disappointment last season.
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Introduction: He’s one of the youngest players in this draft, having just turned 21 this month, and he’s played on offense for only five years. But the 6-foot-4, 324-pound Smith’s potential is why the Dallas Cowboys drafted him with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday.
He’s powerful and aggressive. Pro Football Focus gave him a 93.9 run-blocking grade in 2021, the highest ever for an American Athletic Conference offensive tackle. He also committed 12 holding penalties, as his hands and fundamentals need work. But all the physical tools are there.
“He’s one of the strongest guys I’ve ever been around, offensive line-wise,” Tulsa head coach Philip Montgomery said. “His athleticism gets overlooked a little bit. He needs to clean up some technical things, I think every NFL team would say that. But he’s so strong and athletic that he can be out of position and should get beat, but he ends up back right just because he can physically move people. He brings his hips to a block as good as anybody we’ve been around. That’s going to pay dividends at the next level.”
Big Board ranking: Smith was ranked No. 50 on Dane Brugler’s list of the top-300 prospects. He was Brugler’s sixth-ranked offensive tackle.
How he fits: Smith, the sixth-ranked offensive tackle by Brugler, has the ability to play both guard and tackle. He will most likely be given every opportunity to start at left guard and eventually transition to becoming the team’s left tackle of the future. Starting left tackle Tyron Smith, 31, has dealt with injury issues for the past six seasons. His best years are likely behind him, so Tyler Smith makes sense to be his heir apparent.
Second guess? There were several notable top defensive players still available at the time, like Utah LB Devin Lloyd, Florida State DE Jermaine Johnson, Purdue DE George Karlaftis, Georgia LB Nakobe Dean and Clemson CB Andrew Booth. Smith said he thought he would be drafted somewhere at the end of the first round or early second. Although he had a private pre-draft workout with Cowboys assistant offensive line coach Jeff Blasko but wasn’t expecting Dallas to draft him at 24.
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Rookie impact: He’ll have every opportunity to start at left guard. It’s difficult to believe the Cowboys drafted him in the first round if he wasn’t going to start immediately. With Connor Williams now in Miami, Smith’s competition at the position is Connor McGovern. But if the Cowboys thought enough of McGovern they never would have drafted Smith. Speaking of Williams, who had issues with too many penalties last season, Smith was flagged 16 times last season.
Fast evaluation: The fit makes sense. Offensive line was one of Dallas’ biggest needs, but the expectation was that the Cowboys would be able to get someone like Boston College offensive guard Zion Johnson or Texas A&M offensive guard Kenyon Green. Both were long gone by 24. There was also the possibility that Dallas could trade up for Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning, but he went off the board at 19 and the Cowboys seemed content with taking the best player available.
“To be able to play for America’s Team, this is a dream come true,” said Smith, a North Texas native. “I grew up watching this team. … I’ll fit in wherever they put me. Being able to work with Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, Terence Steele, guys like that, it’s a dream come true. It doesn’t get any better than that. To be able to learn from (Tyron Smith), it’s a blessing for sure.
“I played tackle in college but I’m willing to play wherever they put me. I’m comfortable wherever.”
(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
