2011 NFL Draft: Why Picking Tyron Smith Is Key for the Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys fans have probably heard the name Tyron Smith a lot over the past few weeks. Depending on which mock draft you read Smith may be headed to Dallas pretty soon as Jerry may select the offensive tackle in the first round.

Smith is big, standing tall at 6'6'', 280 pounds, and pundits expect the former USC product to beef up to at least 310 pounds before the start of the season. Well, if there is a season. If that’s the case then I see no issue with Smith providing protection for Romo for, lets say, the next 10 or 11 years.

Tyron is only 20 years old and played the right side of the line at USC for the past two seasons.

But why should the Cowboys go after such a raw offensive lineman when they can choose a sure fire dependable corner in Prince Amukamara? Well, let’s take a look.

Last season the Cowboys finished 16th in rushing at 4.2 yards a clip, which was 15th best in the league. Now that’s about middle of the road for a team with a stable full of horses at running back.

Technically the ‘Boys had the 11th best line in the league last season as they had to supplement at times with tackles Alex Barron, Doug Free, and guard Montrae Holland. They had a number of injuries, a new head coach, a back-up quarterback, and practically no confidence.

Let’s be real, most of us were expecting that to be much lower right? I mean considering everything that happened to the team last season, Heavy D and the Boys should have been at the bottom.

They allowed 73 quarterback hits and 31 sacks on two quarterbacks. That’s with an aging and oft injured Marc Colombo and a liability in run blocking with Kyle Kosier.

A few more stats for your cranium to consider, according to Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys offensive line was penalized 35 times last season, which was 2nd worst in the league.

If this current group continues to have issues with penalties, continuity, and just overall performance, doesn’t it make sense to make a change?

Tyron Smith may not be the immediate answer for an obviously uneven offensive line because it may take a year or for him to fully develop, but if Jerry doesn’t start to revamp the line now then the only way he’ll ever see a Super Bowl again is if it's played in his stadium.

Colombo graded as one the worse tackles in the league, and Kyle Kosier is a below average run blocker. If anybody believes that this situation will improve because the team has a new head coach and an offseason to heal then you’re playing yourself.

While the Prince may be an immediate help to an immature secondary, drafting Tyron Smith is taking the next step toward bringing the Cowboys back to a Super Bowl.

-JH