Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith didn't hit the ground running like some rookies did in their first year; obviously, more was expected based on the decision to select Smith in the first round.
Indeed, not only was the move clearly intended by Dallas to get a bigger body along the defensive line to be better against the run, but there was also talk about him being a premium-level talent in that area as soon as he showed up at The Star.
That never happened. And now Smith has a target on his back for 2024 ... and a bad grade from NFL.com for 2023.
NFL.com writes that Dallas will expect more from their first-round pick in 2024. ... and we must say, that is a sort of "Captain Obvious'' take - a take that we can pick apart a bit ...
"Smith was one of the main Year 1 contributors, although he started just three games and ranked fourth among Dallas DTs in snaps," NFL.com writes. "Asked to play more 3-technique than nose tackle ... Smith showed greater impact later in the regular season -- even so, he logged just four snaps in the playoff loss to Green Bay. ...''
Wait a second. ...
We don't understand what the site means when it writes that Smith was a "main Year 1 contributor''; that is not true by any measure ... which is made clear by NFL.com's own mention of him playing just four snaps in the last game.
Four snaps is not a "main contributor.'' Four snaps almost means there was no reason to hand him a jersey that day.
It is true that Dallas tried him at different spots. (There is talk about Mazi - who showed up here at a stout 6-3 and 340 - losing some weight to make him more effective in that regard; we're asking about that.)
But there was no time this year when on any sort of a consistent basis the Michigan product "showed greater impact.''
There was a lot of talk during the season about why Smith wasn't a regular starter for coordinator Dan Quinn's defense, given his first-round pedigree.
But putting it bluntly, the answer is that it is clear the Cowboys coaching staff thought he wasn't good enough to warrant more snaps.
Smith has 20+ defensive snaps just five times this season, and eight times, he had 16 or under, which included that mere four against the Green Bay Packers.
There is no need to bash Smith or come to a conclusion about his talent, as it is just one season, and we have seen the "second-year leap" happen often. But there is a need to evaluate. And while we might disagree with some of NFL.com's specifics, when they give the Dallas draft a "D+''? We don't have much disagreement there.
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