When it came time to use the 24th overall pick in last Thursday’s (April 28) NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys nabbed homegrown talent.
The Cowboys selected University of Tulsa guard and Fort Worth North Crowley graduate Tyler Smith to help protect quarterback Dak Prescott and create holes for a rushing attack that logged 2,119 yards in 2021, according to a report from Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate WFAA.
For the 21-year-old Smith, being able to play for the team he watched growing up is undoubtedly a dream come true.
“LETS GO COWBOYS NATION!!!” he said in a tweet.
WFAA reported that the 6-foot-5-inch, 324-pound Smith was a freshman All-American at Tulsa two years ago and had just landed on the All-American second team in his last season with the Golden Hurricane.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Smith was the 16th player on the team’s board.
“We call it a good night,” Jones said, per WFAA. “A player that we thought had as much upside as anybody that was on the board.”
A report on the Cowboys’ website said that Smith is a purported successor to Connor Williams, who entered free agency more than a month ago.
The team, which clinched the NFC East but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, is pinning its hopes on Smith to help minimalize penalties generated by its offensive line.
While the first-round pick himself collected flags – 16 penalties in 2021 – Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy doesn’t see Smith repeating the same mistake at the pro level.
“I’m definitely aware of his performance last year, but they’re definitely two different topics in my view,” McCarthy said, per the team. “Obviously, playing in Tulsa and obviously our team this year, I really don’t see any correlation to it.”
Smith’s introductory press conference at The Star in Frisco was a homecoming.
According to WFAA, he addressed the glaring flaw on his scouting report but showed no signs of cratering under the criticism.
“I feel like everybody has an opinion,” Smith said, per the station.
