USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire continued their series ranking the 11 best players at every position in the NFL, and already the USC Trojans have been represented, first with slot cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, and now by offensive tackle Tyron Smith.
However, Smith may not be as high on the list as many USC fans would hope to see him, especially coming off his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl appearance in 2019 with Dallas.
Smith comes in at No. 7 on the list, not bad for an aging veteran, but hardly indicative of how good he has been in his career, and as recently as last year.
USA TODAY writer Mark Schofield explains:
Over eight years at left tackle, Smith has allowed just 19 credited sacks. That includes one in 2018 and one again in 2019. That is extremely impressive for a left tackle. He did allow 23 quarterback hurries in 2019, his most allowed since 2013, as well as 30 quarterback pressures (again his most since 2013), which sees him slide a bit in these rankings. But not too far.
While Smith’s performance may be waning (a tiny bit) he’s still among the league’s most elite pass and run blockers, and the Cowboys are more than happy sliding him in to protect Dak Prescott for the foreseeable future.
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