The Dallas Cowboys made a surprising move in the NFL draft’s first round Thursday. They selected a defensive tackle. Dallas picked Michigan run-stopper Mazi Smith as the 26th overall pick. He is the first defensive tackle the Cowboys have selected in the first round since Russell Maryland went No. 1 overall in 1991.
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When Smith was asked what the Dallas Cowboys would get from him, he said that they would get a big, physical guy who’s never been afraid of contact. To prove that he is a man of his word, Mazi recently rolled out a video which ended up breaking the internet. In the said video, he was seen moving weights and jumping around with utter ease.
Mazi Smith shows that he’s a force to be reckoned with in a powerful video
Smith became one of the biggest prospects in college football in the United States. He played with the Michigan Wolverines for three seasons and produced incredible numbers. His 48 tackles this year may have led the Cowboys to pick him at No. 26 in the draft.
In the video posted on NFL’s official Instagram handle, Smith was seen working out like an absolute monster. Fans just simply could not believe their eyes. One of the stories behind the video is that in order for Mazi to lift 800 lbs, they had to call the machine’s manufacturer and ask them to add extra weight to it.
“I don’t think people understand how hard it is to move 600 lbs, He looks super strong, Man’s a machine, Guys gunning for the competition,” were just some of the reactions on the video.
What do the Cowboys want from the former Wolverine?
The Jerry Jones-led franchise wants the young talent to pump up a run defense that was ranked 22nd in the NFL in 2022. The team gave up 129.3 yards per game last season. Under McCarthy’s coaching, the team ranked 23rd, 19th, and 20th in run defense.
The coach said as per ESPN, “Clearly the focus when you go through evaluation in the postseason, it was clear that we wanted to improve our run defense. So it was a focal point. And I think this clearly, clearly does that. I mean we love everything about Mazi.”
Smith was one of the top 30 visitors to The Star prior to the draft for the Cowboys. He played in his final 28 games for Michigan, earning the title of a first-team All-Big Ten in his last season. During that season, he recorded 48 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a half sack.
Jones revealed that when Dallas was on the clock for the 26th pick, they had several opportunities to trade down. The Cowboys were considering three or four players at that point. According to Jones, Smith was ranked as the 14th-best player on the team’s draft board. Executive Vice President Stephen Jones mentioned that the team only had 11 players with first-round grades in this year’s draft.
