Cowboys Country

Cowboys Mock Draft: Top O-Lineman to Dallas - Tyron Smith Replacement?

The Dallas Cowboys could add to their offensive line at the start of this year's draft.

Jeremy Brener

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The Dallas Cowboys are going into the offseason with uncertainty surrounding their offensive line.

Among the questions the team must answer has to do with the future of Tyron Smith, the team's premier left tackle.

Smith, 33, is a free agent who could re-sign with the Cowboys, but whether or not he stays in Dallas ... the team needs an offensive tackle.

Troy Fautanu
USA Today Sports

That's why CBS Sports has mocked Washington offensive tackle Troy Fautanu to the Cowboys with the No. 24 overall pick.

"Maybe Tyron Smith will re-sign with the Cowboys, or maybe he won't," CBS Sports writes. "Either way, the Cowboys would be well-served to address their offensive line early in the draft. You will hear about his arm length, but we've seen players with shorter arms succeed at tackle. Fautanu has the feet to make it work and the strength."

Fautanu is part of a stacked offensive line class and is the fifth player at the position to come off the board in this mock draft. Joe Alt (No. 5), JC Latham (No. 7), Olu Fashanu (No. 8), and Taliese Fuaga (No. 14) rank ahead of Fautanu. However, all the players above him project strictly as tackles while Fautanu has the ability to play both as a tackle and an interior lineman.

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Drafting Fautanu would be reminiscent of when the Cowboys selected Tyler Smith two years ago with the exact same No. 24 pick. Smith played tackle in college, but has mainly played guard for the Cowboys in his first two years in the league. Adding Fautanu gives the Cowboys even more flexibility and solidification for the offensive line moving forward.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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