'No Sweat!' Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy Reacts to Eagles Draft

Could the Philadelphia Eagles get any more lucky after landing Jalen Carter with the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft? Yup, as the Dallas Cowboys saw their rivals land Nolan Smith in addition to Carter.

Harrison Reno | Apr 28, 2023

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KANSAS CITY - When Jalen Carter fell to the Philadelphia Eagles it felt like that would be the luckiest the Dallas Cowboys' NFC East division rival would get for the night. Well ...

Boy, were we wrong, as Carter wasn't the only ex-Bulldog to fall into the lap of general manager Howie Roseman and the Eagles. For 21 picks after trading up for Carter, the Eagles landed Nolan Smith, this time by standing pat with their No. 30 overall pick.

And what do the Cowboys think of all of this?

“We all recognize players that we like, coaches and personnel guys,” Dallas coach Mike McCarthy said. “There are good picks by other teams, but I’ve never really sweated what the other guys take.”

Smith, the undersized edge rusher/outside linebacker hybrid was a projected top-10 pick coming into Thursday but fell to the second-to-final pick of the night. Why? Likely because of how the rest of the draft board played out.

It was hard to envision having Michael Mayer, Joey Porter Jr., Will Levis, and Myles Murphy all available when it came time for Dallas to make their selection at No. 26.

While many Cowboys fans and analysts made their liking for Nolan Smith known, the selection of Mazi Smith shouldn't be overlooked. The nose tackle out of Michigan became the first defensive tackle the Cowboys have taken in the first round since 1991, where they took Russell Maryland No. 1 overall.

The Cowboys believe they needed to beef up their interior defensive line more than they did their pass rush and they are hoping Smith will be a big part of a better run defense. While one can argue the point of taking the "best player available," and where Mazi fits into that equation, it is the sting of Nolan going to the Eagles that hurts the most for fans.

I would’ve preferred Nolan Smith. The cowboys have needed a beefy DT but at 26? Might be a stretch. We’ll see
— Jose Mata (@Paradoxkilla23) April 28, 2023