NFL Draft rumors: Chiefs tried to steal Mazi Smith from Cowboys
By Kristen Wong
The Chiefs may have won the Super Bowl this past season, but they don’t always get their way. Not if Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys can help it.
The Dallas Cowboys can only dream of the kind of success the Kansas City Chiefs have achieved in the past half decade. Having Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on the same team feels like a cheat code, but thankfully Dallas is doing all it can to prevent the Chiefs from continuing their success into the 2023 season.
When Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy reportedly got a call from Kansas City about swapping first-round picks in the draft, he turned it down.
Dallas ended up selected Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith at 26th overall, and Smith happened to be the player the Chiefs wanted to take as well had the two teams agreed to a picks trade.
FYI: The #Cowboys did field a call from the Chiefs to potentially move down to 31, but it was nixed when Kansas City said they were moving up for Mazi Smith.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) April 28, 2023
Andy Reid wanted him. Mike McCarthy got him.
The beefy run-stopper was projected to be a late Day 1 pick and was also a popular mock draft pick of the Chiefs given how well Smith could pair with star Chris Jones.
Cowboys fend off Chiefs’ heavy interest and select Mazi Smith in first round
According to the Cowboys staff writer Patrik Walker, the Chiefs apparently told the Cowboys they wanted to move up to nab Smith.
A potential trade between Kansas City and Dallas feels more plausible than others since each team resides in separate conferences, yet Mike McCarthy clearly had his sights set on Smith this draft.
Whether that was before the Chiefs call or after, McCarthy got his run-stuffing D-lineman of the future, and Kansas City stayed put at 31st overall to take defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
It’s a rare win for Mike McCarthy who has recently become more known for his atrocious time management; Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, on the other hand, is well on his way to becoming a revered legend in Kansas City and won’t be too bummed about missing out on Smith. He tried his best, anyway.
The Chiefs hosted a pre-draft meeting with Mazi Smith earlier this year, which would indicate the franchise was interested in the young run defender and ready to take him if they could successfully move up the board.
Yet Dallas didn’t budge, and now the team boasts three humongous defensive tackles in the trenches: Smith, Johnathan Hankins, and Quinton Bohanna. Best of luck on the quarterback sneak next season, Philly.
Next. NFL Draft grades for every Chiefs pick. dark