Cowboys' Tyler Smith ranked among NFL's Top 25 players under 25

Tyler Smith, the Dallas Cowboys' 2022 first-round pick, has become one of the premier guards in the NFL, and he is still only 23 years old.

Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s one area in which the Dallas Cowboys have excelled during the NFL Draft over the years, it's selecting offensive linemen in the first round.

Since 2011, the team has selected Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton in Round 1. While Guyton has yet to play a snap in the NFL, the five previous picks were all home runs.

That includes Tyler Smith, who was originally seen as a left tackle prospect to eventually replace Tyron Smith. Instead, he moved inside to left guard and has excelled. Dallas decided to keep him at guard, which is a wise move, according to Zoltán Buday of Pro Football Focus.

Buday named the top 25 players under 25 years old, and Smith came in at No. 15.

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“Smith will likely continue to play inside, where he has a chance to become one of the best interior offensive linemen, highlighted by the fact that his 74.4 PFF overall grade in 2023 ranked 11th among guards.”

- Buday, PFF

At just 23 years of age, Smith enters his third season in the NFL. It will also be the first year he doesn’t have to worry about changing positions.

As a rookie, Smith learned left guard throughout camp and the preseason. He then moved to tackle out of necessity when Josh Ball was unable to replace an injured Tyron Smith.

In 2023, Smith moved back to left guard and had a great season despite playing through a foot injury. Now healthy and ready to focus on one position, Smith might be preparing for his best season yet.