Cowboys dodged draft night bullet after Chiefs spilled the beans
There's a brand new defender in the building and you're unlikely to miss him as the 325-pound defensive tackle Mazi Smith is officially a member of the Dallas Cowboys. The prospect out of Michigan has Dan Quinn smiling like crazy in just about every clip you find of the defensive coordinator on social media and […]
There's a brand new defender in the building and you're unlikely to miss him as the 325-pound defensive tackle Mazi Smith is officially a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
The prospect out of Michigan has Dan Quinn smiling like crazy in just about every clip you find of the defensive coordinator on social media and it's easy to understand why.
The Cowboys defense has its new nose tackle. Smith's presence on the defensive line will go a long way in improving the team's run defense as the freakish athlete is a force to be reckoned with. But the team is also excited about what the rookie can do as a pass rusher as he can even free up opportunities for Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the edges.
There's also one more reason why Quinn, Will McClay, and Mike McCarthy still seem ecstatic about the pick: They almost missed out on him. To be more specific, they almost traded away the selection only to see their guy, Mazi, drafted by another NFL team.
That's right. According to Patrik Walker, who covers the Cowboys for the team's official website, the team fielded a call from the Kansas City Chiefs as they mulled the possibility of trading back a few spots.
It could've happened, too. But it was then that the Chiefs inadvertently trumped the deal by letting out a piece of critical information: They wanted the 26th pick to draft Mazi Smith, too.
Oh, the NFL Draft. It's chaotic even when we don't find out about it until later.
This particular Draft Day nugget proves two things: The Cowboys were right to stay put at 26th and they weren't the only NFL team high on him. All that matters now though, as Jerry Jones hilariously pointed out in the team's press conference Thursday night is that they got him.
Smith will wear #58 for the Cowboys and he's the first defensive tackle selected in the first round by the franchise since 1991 when the team took Russell Maryland.
