Life After Tyron Smith: Projecting Cowboys O-Line (Draft 6-8 Amarius Mims to Start?)

The Dallas Cowboys could seek an offensive tackle early in this year's NFL Draft with Tyron Smith out the door and on his way to the New York Jets.

That's why we're predicting that Dallas will take an offensive lineman in the first round; as much as a team hates to lock itself into "need,'' the Cowboys do seem to have done that. Don't see it yet?

Consider what the O-line projects to be at the moment ...

The right tackle is Terence Steele. No problem. The right guard is Zack Martin. He's an (aging) All-Pro. The center? Tyler Biadasz is gone via free agency to Washington, so some kids (T.J. Bass or Brock Hoffman) might compete there? The left guard? Dallas can leave another stud, young Tyler Smith, right there in place.

That leaves open left tackle ... a critical spot. Would the Cowboys hand that job over to Arizona "Godzilla'' Jordan Morgan? Or how about selecting Georgia's giant (6-8, 340) Amarius Mims?

Sports Illustrated projected the Cowboys would take the Georgia offensive tackle Mims with the No. 24 overall pick.

"In spite of a markedly small sample size (just two starts going into his true junior season), it is difficult to not project Mims as an early first-round type of talent. Mims put excellent film on display in spite of spending his first two seasons as a glorified swing tackle," Athlon Sports writes. "He’s got everything needed to be a standout presence on the edge and quickly become an effective NFL starter."

Mims, 21, played 12 games for the Bulldogs in their 2022 national championship run as a reserve. However, when Warren McClendon went down with an injury, Mims stepped in and started the Peach Bowl and National Championship. He returned to the starting lineup this past season, but was limited to just seven games as a result of injuries.

While Mims doesn't have a ton of experience as a starter, his physical acumen and potential is off the charts. Maybe with the right kind of coaching, Mims can emerge into a strong tackle in the NFL, and with the Cowboys, he could be given the opportunity to do that immediately as he protects Dak Prescott in the pocket.

We should note that the Cowboys could also use No. 24 on a center, and the positivity could be the same. (We've done extensive work on Jackson Powers-Johnson, as you can see here.)

Source: Cowboys Cut Vander Esch, Kendricks Signs

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25-27. ... and a problem is looming in the O-line. In a post-Tyron world, Dallas seems locked into a need, for better or worse.