Cowboys: Tyler Smith looking like a first-round pick with the pads on

Cowboys first-round draft pick, offensive lineman, Tyler Smith, is looking the part in the first couple days of full practice.

With the 24th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Tyler Smith, an offensive tackle from the University of Tulsa. So far in training camp, it is looking as if they made a great choice in doing so. The Cowboys threw on pads yesterday for the first time in training camp, and Smith didn’t hold anything back in his first opportunity to truly display his strength with his new team.

That is 6-foot-3, 308 pound Trysten Hill getting leveled by Smith, and today, the Cowboys new lineman picked up right where he left off, this time pancaking second year defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa:

Cowboys’ Tyler Smith proving naysayers wrong early on in camp

It was well documented that Tyler Smith was an absolute mauler heading into the draft, but in the eyes of many, he was a flyer pick for the first-round. There were complaints from scouts about his discipline and pass protection technique and he was considered to be nothing more than a bruising tackle by the majority of experts. The concerns connected to his developmental needs made him out to look like a project, but the Cowboys liked what they saw.

Joining the likes of Tyron Smith (LT), Terence Steele (RT), and Zack Martin (RG) will likely land Tyler Smith in the starting left guard position, but it is certainly possible that he takes reps at right tackle in 2022. Tyron Smith is one of the most handsomely paid left tackles in football, but the right tackle position presents a far more open competition. Only time will tell if the rookie can handle that responsibility, but he has an excellent opportunity to grow and improve within one of the most highly touted offensive line units in the NFL regardless.

If Tyler Smith can find a way to combine his physical prowess and clear desire to impose his strength on each rep with some technical development, it will be a scary sight for opposing defenses and an anchor that the Cowboys offense can rely upon throughout the upcoming season and beyond.