FRISCO - “That,” Jerry Jones, “ is safe to say.”
The “that” is the Dallas Cowboys' "choice'' to solidify the look of their 2022 NFL season-opening offensive line by starting first-round pick Tyler Smith at left tackle.
https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/...preview-injury
Smith's run-blocking tape is a sight to behold. Neither Neal nor Ekwonu led the FBS in big-time blocks last season; it was Smith. He likely ends up at guard and is a work in progress as a pass protector, but you can't teach his power.
https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/tyle.../draft-profile
Smith’s pass-blocking fundamentals are a large problem for him. He often plays too upright, which allows defenders to gain leverage on him by getting much lower and disabling his hand placement. He often ends up reaching for whatever he can grab onto, allowing more savvy defenders to slip past him.
His hand placement and technique will need to take massive leaps forward at the next level, and he’ll he will need to be coached up on both of these and become a more consistent blocker.
When he does get beat off the edge from a raw speed rush, or from his own poor hand placement, he has a bad tendency to grab onto the defender and draw a holding penalty. He’s very quick on the instinct to immediately hold as opposed to resetting and trusting his own strength, almost seeming to panic if things do not go his way from the outset in pass sets. This resulted in 16 penalties for him last year, which is a huge red flag.
Smith will need to have these habits fixed and remove that panic reaction if he wants to be a blindside protector in the NFL. He may be better suited to slide inside to guard if he cannot fix it right away, and perhaps transition to tackle later.
https://draftwire.usatoday.com/lists...cane-football/
Giddity up .. Im calling it now. 2 holds and at least 1 sack against in week 1.
Boys v Bucs.