Cowboys BREAKING: Tyler Smith Signs Rookie Contract

NFL experts seem conflicted on the value the Cowboys got with Tyler Smith at No. 24 overall

FRISCO - At No. 24 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Tulsa left tackle Tyler Smith, and it probably wasn't the name Dallas fans were expecting or hoping to hear called.

Certainly not the sexiest of picks, Smith still gives the Cowboys what they are looking for, according to Dallas executive vice president Stephen Jones.

And on Friday, as rookies engaged in a minicamp here at The Star, both sides got what they are looking for contractually as Smith signed his rookie contract.

 Via the slotted system, it is a four-year deal (with the team’s fifth-year option) worth $13.38 million.

"I just think his upside is tremendous," Jones said (via the PFT PM Podcast) of Tyler Smith. "He played at a smaller school there at Tulsa. He only played in 18 games at Tulsa. But we just feel like his skill set really lends to him having an opportunity to be a top, top left tackle at some point."

Still, did the Cowboys reach? CBS Sports seems to think so.

Tyler Smith

Dak and Jerry

Mike McCarthy and Tyler Smith

The site released its most questionable draft picks for all 32 teams Thursday and listed Smith as a question mark for Dallas.

Smith was not a first-round value based on what he has shown to this point, but it is an easy choice to understand. Rather than investing in an older prospect, Dallas elected to take a younger prospect who plays the game with ferocity. Offensive linemen had just come off the board, and the Cowboys were at risk of missing out on the position if they did not act quickly.

The Cowboys could have gone with Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, who went a pick later at No. 25 to the Ravens. Dallas starting center Tyler Biadasz has his fair share of inconsistencies last season. 

Nonetheless, Dallas elected to go with the bigger guy in Smith, who stands at 6-5, 324. He only played in 18 games in college but bullied opposing pass rushers in the AAC.

Elliott, Prescott, and Smith

Stephen Jones (left), Mike McCarthy (middle) and Jerry Jones

Tyler Smith

Just ask Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott what he thinks about Smith so far and he'll share his confidence in the rookie's ability to provide holes for him and Tony Pollard up front this season.

"From everything I’m hearing and seeing it sounds like he’s a good fit for our team,” Elliott said, via Jori Epstein of USA TODAY Sports. “A guy who looks like you can play him at different positions. He looks physical, he looks like he has the type of mentality where he’s going to fit in with the guys already in that room."

Putting a question mark on the Smith selection is understandable due to his lack of experience against top collegiate competition and only one season's worth of games under his belt.

But questionable or not, Smith gives the Cowboys exactly what they were aiming for in this year's draft: size and a big-guy style of play.

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