The Dallas Cowboys nailed their first-round pick last year when they grabbed OT Tyler Smith with the 24th overall selection. At the time, it wasn't a popular pick among fans and media as many had question marks about the prospect out of Tulsa.

And while some concerns were legit (and made evident during Smith's rookie season), the Cowboys clearly made the right pick.

So much so that in a recent conference call, Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network claimed that Tyler would undoubtedly be the No. 1 offensive lineman taken off the board this year.

You can read more about that here.

Is there a Tyler Smith 2.0 in this year's Draft?

But Jeremiah also mentioned a 2023 draft prospect who could be in a very similar situation to that of Tyler Smith last offseason. And since we know the Cowboys still need offensive line help this offseason, he is worth looking at.

"This year in terms of guys that still have some work to do in terms of their development, (there's) Jaelyn Duncan from Maryland," said the NFL Draft insider. "But he is somebody that I think is a year away."

"Like, it's all in there. It's all in his body. He has a ton of ability. He is very athletic. He is going to test -I would be shocked if he doesn't test extremely well," revealed Jeremiah.

But there's something else about Duncan that could also interest the Cowboys right from the start: He's working with the private coach who also trains Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Isaac Alarcón, and other NFL-caliber players during the offseason.

"I know he has been working with Duke Manyweather who does a great job in Dallas, and you can already see him making strides there," added Jeremiah. "I think his best football is in the future, not in the past."

Manyweather's work has become so well-known around the NFL that some players' draft stock dramatically just based on that.

Dane Brugler from The Athletic ranks Duncan as his ninth-best offensive lineman. The Cowboys have shown before they're willing to draft for the future at several positions.

And they won't shy away from risky bets on unpolished players as long as they have the traits they're looking for.

A clear difference between Duncan and Smith is age, though. The prospect out of Maryland will turn 23 years old this offseason while the Cowboys lineman is just about to turn 22 with one NFL season under his belt.

However, those comments made by Daniel Jeremiah alone should put Duncan on the watch of every Cowboys fan out there. Based on early rankings, he's somebody that could even be available in the second round.

For more on this topic and the Cowboys, check out my nightly live show A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime below!

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