Cowboys' first-round selection has a unique task ahead of him
The speculation finally ended on Thursday night as to what position the Dallas Cowboys would address first. Many felt that tight end would be the way Dallas went due to the departure of Dalton Schultz. However, Dallas hit the trenches on defense and took defensive tackle Mazi Smith out of Michigan. Now that he's on […]
The speculation finally ended on Thursday night as to what position the Dallas Cowboys would address first.
Many felt that tight end would be the way Dallas went due to the departure of Dalton Schultz. However, Dallas hit the trenches on defense and took defensive tackle Mazi Smith out of Michigan.
Now that he's on the roster, Smith can start his grind to be another key piece on the Cowboys' defense, but his assignment is an interesting one. Smith talked about what Dallas relayed to him as far as what his responsibilities will be.
"They told me that first and foremost my job was to come in and be that elite run defender they need in the middle of that defense," Smith said. "And then after that, my second job is to show everybody that I can work at the edge and that I can affect the quarterback. That's something that I need to work on and hone in on."
Smith's first task won't be a problem at all.
During his days at Michigan, Smith was an anchor at defensive tackle that took on and defeated double teams which made it harder for teams to run and gave linebackers more freedom to roam and make plays. So, at 6'3" and 323 pounds, and with the tutelage of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, there's little doubt that Smith will shine in that area.
At his size, it will intriguing to see how Smith will handle coming off of the edge. In college, Smith logged 1,180 snaps between the A and B gaps as opposed to just 48 out wide. If Smith can be successful in this role, the Cowboys will have turned him into a multi-faceted weapon that can be plugged into multiple rotations which will allow Quinn to come up with a lot of different looks, which he loves to do.
The ability to be versatile as a defender is a great skill to have and the Cowboys are certainly showing that they don't want Smith to be a one-trick pony.
