When the Cowboys selected Mazi Smith with their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft, optimism reigned supreme. The stoutness of their defensive interior (or lack thereof) was arguably their only weakness on that side of the ball and Smith was one of the stoutest defensive tackles in the draft class.
In a conference led by two elite running teams (San Francisco and Philadelphia), a stronger interior meant the Cowboys would be better equipped to challenge their supremacy.
The 49ers have bounced Dallas from the postseason on the Cowboys’ last two trips. They achieved it in part because of their dominance in the trenches. Smith represented a step in the right direction. Just how big of a step the defense takes in 2023 is now being questioned.
Smith was famously the first DT the Cowboys have drafted in the first round since Russell Maryland in 1991 (In case it isn’t obvious, 1991 was a very long time ago). It wasn’t that Dallas didn’t value the DT position, it’s just they found different ways to fill it.
The Cowboys often opted to use free agency to fill the position, and while they might not have used their first-round picks on DTs, they’ve still been drafting them. The returns generally have been mixed. Two of the more recent picks, Trysten Hill and Neville Gallimore, didn’t work out like they hoped. But then again, they weren’t first rounders with elite traits. Smith was both of those things.
Rated No. 1 on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List which chronicles college football’s most athletically gifted players each year, Smith brought a level of eliteness with him to Dallas. Fans who’ve been desperate for improvement in the Cowboys defensive interior ate this pick up.