Cowboys Grade on 'Beefy,' Productive Mazi Smith: NFL Draft

The team at Sports Illustrated gives the selection of Mazi Smith a fine grade.

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys already-explosive defensive line gained another weapon in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and star Micah Parsons is ecstatic. 

With the No. 26 pick, Dallas added run-stuffer Mazi Smith out of Michigan in a move that shores up what was a problem area last season. Coach Mike McCarthy called it "an excellent pick" in terms of improving their run defense, particularly on earlier downs. Smith visited with the Cowboys for one of their 30 visits. 

The team at Sports Illustrated also gives the selection an exemplary grade. Why SI says it's a "B" pick:

Dallas added a beefy defensive tackle to an interior defensive line that was inconsistent at times last season. Smith, who was taken ahead of Bryan Bresee, is a productive run stopper and has upside as a pass rusher. The Cowboys might have reached here, but they needed depth on the defensive line in a division that features the mobile Jalen Hurts. — G.M.

The Cowboys conceded rushing totals of over 150 yards six times last year, with two being 200+ yard games.

The addition of the combine's second-best defensive lineman in terms of his athleticism, Smith will ease the pressure on the likes of Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence to then get after the quarterback.

“Mazi obviously brings an element to our run game, stopping the run that other than [Johnathan] Hankins, we don’t have,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said. “We felt like [it] was a great fit for us and really did something that makes us a better defense at the end of the day.”

The draft continues Friday with the second and third rounds beginning at 6 p.m. CT. One of the biggest storylines, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis still remains on the board with the Tennessee Titans as the favorites to land the widely-expected to go in the first round. 

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