Cowboys & NFL Draft: Raw Prospect 'The Next Tyron Smith'?

Is there 'The Next Tyron Smith' in the upcoming NFL Draft? One scouting eye at 'Prep Flicks' says it might be so

NFL teams are about to use April's NFL Draft to find "The Next.'' Our guys at "Prep Flicks'' are on it - in a literally "big'' way ...

MOBILE, Alabama - We listed Tyron Smith as the No. 1 offensive line prospect in the country in 2008. Considering that he was listed generously at 6-6 and 250 pounds, this was seen by some as a bit of a stretch, because there were questions if he could carry the extra weight needed to reach the lofty expectations of being the top prospect.

Fast-forward three years, and Smith was the first offensive lineman taken in the 2011 NFL Draft. He measured 6-5 and 307 pounds. Players never seem to get taller in college, but they almost always get heavier.

Smith played at Rancho Verde High School, about 70 miles east of Los Angeles, and I happened to be living in LA at the time. After going to see Smith in person, I was convinced he was the top offensive line prospect in the nation.

It's 13 years later and another phenom has entered the NFL Draft, but Spencer Brown took a bit of a different route than likely future Hall-of-Famer Tyron.

Hailing from Lenox, Iowa, Brown was a bit off the radar in comparison to Smith, but had a similar resume. He entered the University of Northern Iowa as a 6-8 and 245-pound tight end, and he will leave as a likely high-round NFL Draft pick. (I wonder if he might be a first-rounder; the respected Dane Brugler has him as the 88th overall player likely going in the third.)

Brown measured 6-8 and 1/2 and 314 pounds at the Senior Bowl last week. He has several inches on Smith's NFL Combine measurement of 6-5, but their frame progression was very similar. 

Every year, the NFL Draft has a story like Smith and like Brown, an under-sized tight end who grows into a coveted left tackle. (Down the street from Northern Iowa, the Iowa Hawkeyes seem to have one in a premium round every year, though not even the great Kirk Ferentz gets them all right when it comes to spotting players who fit this mold.)

But it's more than just their frames that make Smith and Brown so similar. They both play with terrific leverage and strength. Football has a phrase in the trenches that "low man wins," yet Smith and Brown - build "high'' - are both tremendous run-blockers. Brown is aided by the fact that he doesn't have disproportionately long arms for his height, which helps explain his 500-pound bench press.

All time oline record. 500 going up on this fine morning. pic.twitter.com/PhHORv91B7

— Spencer Brown (@TooTallo_o) June 19, 2020

Like Smith, Brown was also a multi-sport athlete. Smith excelled in track and field, while Brown was all conference in high school in football and basketball. Brown uses that athleticism to get to the second level quickly.

Smith lived up to the billing of being one of the most coveted high school recruits and a first-round draft pick. Brown has flourished out of the spotlight, but come April, I say it's not going to take too long for his name to be read.

The Cowboys, of course, have Tyron and La'el Collins at tackle, both coming off injuries, both being counted on by Dallas to get healthy and keep chugging along. But we also know Dallas is keenly aware of the talents of top O-linemen Penei Sewell and Rashawn Slater. If they're both candidates at No. 10, could Brown be a candidate later?

He dominated the competition at the Senior Bowl, but to be the next Tyron Smith, he'll have to continue to elevate his game. I beleive Spencer Brown has all the tools to do so.

CONTINUE READING: NFL Draft Tracker: Stafford Trade Impacts Dallas Cowboys At 10