The Dallas Cowboys believe they bolstered their offensive line on Thursday by selection Tulsa offensive tackle Tyler Smith with the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Well not everyone believes they bolstered their offensive line.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. was not a fan of the move and ripped the Cowboys for taking the Tulsa product.
Most notably, Kiper called Smith a “walking penalty,” which is bad news for a Dallas team that had a massive issue with penalties last season:
Ironically, Kiper actually projected Smith to the Cowboys in his final mock draft, so he foresaw the pick happening. In his analysis of that hypothetical pick, he was a little less heavy-handed in his criticism.
“Smith would play right tackle in this scenario,” Kiper wrote. “He was a dominant pass-blocker in college, though he can get a little too physical at times; he was called for 12 penalties last season.”
No matter how Smith performs when he does see the field, Kiper’s summation of him on draft night will be replayed for years to come. If he struggles as Kiper predicted, the ESPN analyst will look prescient. If he doesn’t, it’ll make it on ‘Old Takes Exposed’
