2011 NFL Draft: Tyron Smith Will Be Under More Pressure Than Most 1st Rounders

There are mixed signals coming out of Dallas after the team selected Tyron Smith ninth overall in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

Smith himself has said that the team want to use him at left tackle while Jerry Jones said they have pencilled in him on the right-hand side.

Even though the owner's statement should carry more weight than Smith's, I find it hard to believe that the former USC product won't be the starting left tackle on opening day.  He was taken in the top 10 for the sole reason to protect Tony Romo's blindside.

Since purchasing the Cowboys franchise in 1989, Jones has never selected an offensive lineman in the first round.  He bucked that trend on Thursday when the team took Tyron Smith.  Smith's drafting was a direct result of the collapse of the Cowboy's season last year.

The Cowboys were favored by many so-called experts before last season to be looking at a date at home in the Super Bowl.  This dream of Jerry Jones' fell apart because of some poor defense and dodgy offensive line play.

The need for an elite tackle was obvious from the moment Flozell Adams walked out of Cowboys stadium.  This was further highlighted once the team started playing games and Romo was knocked out for the season.  Doug Free eventually settled into the position and adequately managed the line, but he is really better suited to play on the right-hand side.

Many Cowboy fans will share Jones' belief that the team is not looking to rebuild the team.  In fact, Jones himself appears to be of the belief that his team should win the Super Bowl every single season.  This isn't a bad attitude to have, even if it is ridiculously unrealistic.

This attitude permeates through the whole franchise and, while many will probably protest, makes fans feel the same way.  This hunger for instant success will put Tyron Smith under more pressure than even Cam Newton in Carolina.

Newton has the excuse that he will be surrounded by very little talent.  Smith won't have that excuse.  In fact, if Smith can perform early in his rookie season and prove himself to be a worthy blocker of Romo's blindside the Cowboys could have one of the best passing offenses in the league.

That is a lot of pressure for a 20-year-old.

A 20-year-old that has to this point started only 24 college games in his career...at right tackle.  Smith hasn't played left tackle since 2008 when he appeared as a backup at USC to Charles Brown.  Before that, he hadn't played left tackle at all; he came into college as a 3-star prospect at tight end.

Smith is going to need time to learn his position.  Whether he is afforded that time with the Cowboys remains to be seen.  Should Doug Free not be re-signed, or should he be re-signed and not play to an acceptable level, Smith will be the starter.

There is no doubting Smith's talent, but he has fallen in a bad spot for his development.  He may be talented, but he's still less experienced than most of the rookies in his class.  Playing on one of the biggest NFL stages with one of the most storied franchises for an offensive minded head coach under pressure to perform early is a big weight to put on the young man's shoulders (It was a big enough sentence to say!!!).

Jones may have taken the most talented prospect to fill the gaping hole on the Cowboy's offensive line.  However, that talent could struggle to shine through the monumental pressure that it will endure early on.

A bad start in the wrong spot can ruin any type of career not least in the most scrutinized position in the most scrutinized franchise in the most scrutinized league in the world.