FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys have long been fortunate to have a strong and deep offensive line. But with time come age and injuries. And both of those are catching up with the position group and with one potential future Pro Football Hall-of-Famer in particular.
And maybe that’s why Tyler Smith is popping up as a name to someday replace Tyron Smith … and popping up as a candidate at No. 24 in tonight’s first round of the NFL Draft.
The Cowboys drafted Tyron with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. And he made an immediate impact on the field protecting quarterback Tony Romo. Smith has earned two first-team All-Pro selections, two second-team All-Pro selections, eight Pro Bowl selections, and is a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.
He was a “man-child” of sorts – a gigantic V-shaped torso, athletically gifted … and just 20 years old when entering the league.
Tyler Smith? Guess what?
getty
Tyron Smith & Co.
Tyron Smith & Zack Martin
Tyron Smith & La’el Collins
Smith from the University of Tulsa, is 6-5 and 324 pounds. He was a redshirt sophomore with good PFF grades and also tested in the 90th percentile in the 10-yard split (1.71) and the 40-yard dash (5.02).
Oh. And Tyler Smith, up until his April birthday, was just 20 years old.
Tyler Smith is a prospect out of North Crowley High School in Fort Worth, so the Cowboys have every reason to know all about him. … and there are plenty of reasons why Mel Kiper Jr. sends him to Dallas in one of his latest mock draft exercises.
Tyron Smith, in his first five seasons, 2011-15, missed just one game. But in 2016 things changed. Since his sixth season, he hasn’t started more than 13 games in a season, including missing 14 games in 2020 and six games in 2021.
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Age is inevitable in the NFL while injuries are sometimes expected. And both have affected the 31-year-old Smith’s ability to stay on the field.
Tyler Smith could be a long-term solution at tackle. And he says he can also play guard – Dallas’ most immediate need.
Tyron Smith
Terence Steele
“I’ll work them all,” Smith said at the combine when asked about position flex. “I’ve done a lot of work on the pre-draft process. I’ve made it clear to them when they ask me, ‘What position do you see yourself as?’ I definitely see myself as a tackle for sure, but I’m willing to move wherever I need to go to mesh with the organization or wherever I am. I’m always open to that challenge.”
With 2022 being one of the deeper offensive line drafts in recent memory, there could be an opportunity in the first round for an immediate replacement. Trevor Penning? Zion Johnson? Kenyon Green?
We’d better add Tulsa’s Tyler Smith to the list.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism