Cowboys BREAKING: DT Mazi Smith - 'A Powerful Force!' Drafted by Dallas in 1st Round
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys team sources on Thursday afternoon informed CowboysSI.com that they considered Mazi Smith, the Michigan defensive tackle, to be "steal-level'' as a second-round pick, with Dallas selecting at No. 58. ... but also maybe worthy of being the guy at No. 26.
And instead of taking tight end Michael Mayer, who was still on the board, Mazi Smith is the pick.
Having a tight end who can "do it all" would be welcome for Dallas, and after losing Dalton Schultz via free agency to the Houston Texans, another addition to the room makes some sense. Mayer's production for the Fighting Irish last season (809 receiving yards and nine touchdowns) shows he can be a viable option in the pass game for Dak Prescott.
But Dallas coordinator Dan Quinn's unit will love to be getting a defensive tackle from Michigan who lives in the offensive backfield and is the best run defender in college football. ... and Micah Parsons - who suggested this idea to Quinn earlier in the day ... is pleased.
Dallas is already armed with firepower most of the NFL would envy in Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Sam Williams and Dante Fowler. But a playmaker as a 1-tech defensive tackle? That would come in handy.
Said a Cowboys staffer to CowboysSI.com: "He's a powerful force!''
Ranked as the second-best defensive lineman at the 2023 Combine by NFL.com in terms of pure athleticism, Smith (6-3, 337) would bring size to the Dallas defensive line but also quickness.
Can Dallas really get what it considers a pair of guys each worthy of being considered at 26 by using 26 and 58? That's one of the Cowboys' dreams.
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