Cowboys NFL Draft Re-Do: Tyler Smith vs. Packers WR Christian Watson?
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The aftermath of the NFL's Divisional playoffs have those who lost looking back with regret ... not to last weekend, but to the spring.
The 2022 NFL Draft has featured no shortage of instant postseason heroes, with Jordan Davis, Trent McDuffie, and Brock Purdy all set to play for their Super Bowl dreams in Sunday's Conference Championship Game proceedings. Some teams, however, are left with bitter regrets, particularly those who came up just short in the ongoing postseason.
To that end, Bleacher Report conducted a reboot of the most recent draft, and change indeed infiltrates the Dallas Cowboys. Choosing in the 24th slot, the hypothetical Cowboys are forced to adjust when their pick in reality, offensive lineman Tyler Smith, goes to the Buffalo Bills at No. 23.
In Western New York, Smith is described as an upgrade "at left guard over ineffective veteran Rodger Saffold." Buffalo instead chose Florida cornerback Kaiir Elam in the slot before the Cowboys took the Tulsa-based Smith, who flourished on the Dallas line after taking over for the injured Tyron Smith.
In this alternate reality, the Cowboys address their receiving situation with Tyler Smith off the board, choosing North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson.
Accompanying analysis from David Kenyon says that drafting Watson 10 spots earlier than his eventual fate at 34th overall would've helped make up for the lost offensive firepower that departed with Amari Cooper's departure via trade to Cleveland.
Watson got off to a slow start with the Green Bay Packers but broke out to the tune of 523 yards and seven touchdowns over his final eight games of the season. Dallas was one of the first witnesses to Watson's rise, as its heartbreaking November loss in Green Bay saw Watson pick up his first three NFL touchdowns, as well as his first 100-yard game, needing only four receptions to do so.
"Early on, Christian Watson's near-absence of production made it seem the Packers wasted a key selection late in Aaron Rodgers' career," Kenyon writes. "But Watson broke out late, amassing 31 receptions, 523 yards, and seven touchdowns in the last eight games. Dallas had no effective wideout beyond CeeDee Lamb, which reared its ugly head in the postseason."
In comparison, the only Dallas receiver anywhere close to matching Watson's late output was Lamb, who earned 803 yards and six scores over the same nine weeks of play. Dallas' lack of big plays turned out to be its undoing in the Divisional round against San Francisco, a 19-12 defeat that denied them an NFC title game appearance for the 28th consecutive season.
Elsewhere on the list, Sauce Gardner was named the top selection of the Jacksonville Jaguars, replacing Travon Walker (who went to Houston at No. 3). The Detroit Lions (2nd) and New York Giants (5th) respectively stuck with defenders Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux while Gardner's employers in reality, the New York Jets, replaced him with Derek Stingley Jr.
In the end, we bet that while Dallas does indeed need receiver help, Tyler Smith - viewed as a future "institution'' in this O-line - gives the Cowboys very little cause for pause.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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