2022 NFL Draft: Grading the Cowboys’ pick of Tyler Smith at No. 24

The Cowboys pick up offensive tackle Tyler Smith out of Tulsa with pick No. 24 in the first round. Did they make the right choice here?

The Dallas Cowboys needed some serious help on the offensive line after the last season full of penalties and disappointment.

However, after adding Tyler Smith who had his fair share of penalties at Tulsa — 16 in 2021 alone — I am not sure that this was the best pick for the Cowboys at No. 24, especially with some of the other guys that were available for this pick. A guy like Tyler Linderbaum, the center out of Iowa who many thought the Cowboys would draft, was still on the board.

This just wasn’t what I was expecting.

Smith lacks refinement but does not lack in size, coming in at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds. He’ll start likely playing guard even though he came in as a tackle. He is extremely young, forgoing two years of eligibility, so he has room to grow and I don’t think he’s reached his ceiling yet.

With that being said, he isn’t, in my opinion, the guy that is going to take Smith’s job when he retires which many hoped the Cowboys would find in this draft. I was a big fan of guys like Kenyon Green for this pick, but the Texans hoped on that train at pick No. 15.

Overall, I wouldn’t grade this pick very high as he had a second-round grade coming into the draft. This is not going to be a Micah Parsons’ level steal, I can tell you that much right now.

Grade: C+