Cowboys Camp: Is Mazi Smith a Starter - And ‘The Next Suh’?

“Playing angry” like Suh? "I'm ready to hit somebody in their face,” says Mazi Smith, the Cowboys rookie who’s drawn that lofty comparison.

OXNARD, Calif. - Dallas Cowboys first-round rookie defensive tackle Mazi Smith figures as an immediate help for coordinator Dan Quinn's defense as a wide body to stop the run.

But what if the Michigan man matures in to an even more well-rounded and frightening defensive weapon? In his first week of camp, Smith got some run with the first team, jumping ahead of Johnathan Hankins. Monday marks the club's first day in pads, something coach Mike McCarthy has been looking forward to, especially as it relates to Smith.

And what if today is the day Mazi starts to unveil himself as “The Next Suh”? It’s an admittedly “crazy” notion that the Cowboys themselves haven’t really put voice to. But “Baldy” has done so.

“I I thought they needed help in the draft,” analyst Brian Baldinger recently said on NFL Total Access. “Mazi Smith, maybe he can be a young Ndamukong Suh and give you pressure up the middle - that’s what (Micah Parsons) needs.

We get the X-and-O’s logic here. In addition to Dallas’ vulnerability against the run, it can be argued that in 2022 they didn't get constant defensive pressure up the middle, allowing QBs to step up in the pocket to avoid Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and their edge-rushing pals.

But Baldy, the former Cowboys offensive lineman, envisions Mazi as being athletic enough to be in charge of "containing" the quarterback in his part of the field. And maybe putting up some pressure and sack numbers as well?

What have the Cowboys said about Smith’s versatility? "We said this during the evaluation process: We feel there's a lot more pass-rush potential in his body than based on the opportunities he has shown in his college career," McCarthy said.

“A young Ndamukong Suh”? That’s a lofty goal; Suh, 34, (and presently a free agent) is among the most fearsome forces of his generation. He was the No. 2 player taken in the 2010 NFL Draft. He’s on the All-Decade Team and has 71.5 career sacks and plays angry.

“Mazi as Suh”? Smith js 6-3, 337, Suh 6-4, 320. So there’s that. Could Smith follow in the footsteps of predecessor Micah, who was drafted here as a linebacker but has stunned even his own team by becoming a potential sack king? Parsons, as he targets a more extended stay at defensive end, is doing the work to back up his talk.

And Mazi talk? When it comes to “playing angry,” we’re reminded of one of the first things he said upon becoming a Cowboy …

"Let's get to work, please," Mazi said upon entering The Star in Frisco. “I'm ready to hit somebody in their face. I'm not playing."

Now he's entering another level: Pads at camp. Let's go hit somebody in the face.

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