The Cowboys could have gone defense with Devin Lloyd, Jermaine Johnson and George Karlaftis still on the board. Instead, they decided to try to strengthen their offense line.
The Cowboys selected Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith at No. 24. Smith was born in Fort Worth and played his high school football at North Crowley High School.
It wasn’t long ago that the Cowboys’ offensive line was considered the best in the NFL.
But center Travis Frederick retired after the 2019 season and left tackle Tyron Smith has missed 32 games the past six seasons. This offseason, the Cowboys lost left guard Connor Williams to the Dolphins in free agency, and they waived right tackle La’el Collins.
Smith is one of the youngest players in the draft, having just turned 21 this month. He was a three-year starter at left tackle at Tulsa, but he had 12 penalties in 12 games last season after being flagged seven times in 14 games from 2019-20.
He is expected to see his first NFL action at left guard, competing with Connor McGovern to replace Williams. Williams, Martin and Collins all played tackle in college but began their NFL careers at guard. Collins later moved from left guard to right tackle.