Cowboys Mock Draft: Dallas Selects Micah Parsons 2.0 in Georgia's Nolan Smith?

It's up for debate which area the Dallas Cowboys will need to address the most as they dive deeper into another offseason of uncertainty after a 19-12 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional.

But instead of strengthening a weakness, how about bolstering a strength? That's the route the Cowboys are projected to go in April's draft ... at least according to CBS Sports' latest mock draft.

With the No. 27 overall pick, CBS has Dallas taking a swing on Georgia Bulldogs EDGE Nolan Smith, who is the fifth Bulldog taken in the first round in this particular mock. But while he's not as highly-projected as his championship-winning teammates, Smith could be a major addition to a Dallas defense and pass-rush that is no stranger to having rookies make an impact.

Certainly the most notable of these in recent seasons was the 2021 version of linebacker Micah Parsons, who took the lead by storm as a rookie and quickly rose to the top of the ranks as one of the best defensive players in football.

The Cowboys got Parsons at No. 12 overall ... and maybe, they can find that kind of elite-level value in Smith as well due to the comparisons he and Parsons share.

While both stand at 6-3 and hover around 240 pounds, it's the unique twitch and athletic burst that Parsons and Smith possess that make the comparison an interesting one to make.

In what is just one of many examples, Smith displays effortless athleticism here by bending his way around blocks to force pressure on the quarterback. It's the kind of thing Cowboys fans have grown accustomed to seeing from Parsons game after game.

Nolan Smith dodging the chip, then bouncing back outside to swim the RT and dip to the QB pic.twitter.com/AZeeCDttx3
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) January 28, 2023

And like Parsons, Smith can drop back into coverage and perform at an impressive level due to this versatile athleticism. While the stats may not show it since he finished his collegiate career with just three passes defended and one interception, these numbers are hardly what scouts are paying attention to when Smith's hard-to-ignore fluidity is jumping off the screen.

Smith still remains a question mark due to missing the last half of the season due to injury and the fact that he has limited experience overall despite four seasons at Georgia.

But when the name Micah Parsons gets floated around as a comparison, why wouldn't the Cowboys want to take a swing?

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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