Starting Spot Secure? Grading Cowboys Rookie Tyler Smith vs. Chargers
When the Dallas Cowboys selected Tyler Smith No. 24 overall in April's NFL Draft, the pick wasn't well-received by some critics. A primary criticism is that he had severe penalty problems in college, as he committed 16 of them just last season at Tulsa. Out of those 16 penalties, 12 of them were holding calls.
To scouts, Smith primarily struggled with hand technique when blocking edge rushers as an offensive tackle at Tulsa. For Dallas, Smith is expected to slide inside to left guard (at least as a rookie). Inside, they believe, Smith will be able to utilize the bully demeanor and brute strength that scouts have praised.
Smith displayed some of that strength in the preseason win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. (See our Cowboys Notebook here). Frequently throughout the game, Smith was moving defenders with force to create running lanes.
Smith dominated at the point of attack all night and showed why, in our opinion, he should be the unquestioned starter at left guard for Dallas this season.
This comes after a preseason game versus Denver on Aug. 13 in which Smith was a bit of a mixed bag. Smith displayed penalty issues again in that Denver game, but also showed his power and brute strength ... which he built upon Saturday against Los Angeles.
Smith has had a huge asset at his disposal this offseason by getting the chance to learn from Cowboys All-Pro right guard Zack Martin and Cowboys All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith. Smith doesn't seem to be wasting this opportunity, either.
"Keeping everything in sync and coordinated is huge for me,” Tyler said. “Zack really helped me with that a lot. I’ll be focused with my eyes. And with Tyron, I was like, ‘How do you not underset or overset?’
Now, Smith will look to build upon these positives when the team faces off against the Seattle Seahawks for next weekend's preseason closer ... but likely with the left guard spot already in his grasp.
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