Cowboys 2022 Draft: First-round pick divides fanbase, Day 2 can save the day

The Dallas Cowboys selected Tulsa tackle Tyler Smith with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft Thursday night. War room footage showed executive vice president Stephen Jones on the phone for 10 minutes before the selection. Were the Cowboys trying to execute a trade? Given the fact guys they liked in guards Kenyon Green (Texas A&M) and Zion Johnson (Boston College) were off the board, it made sense the Cowboys find a way to back out of No. 24, pick up some picks, and grab someone else at a better value.

Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum was there. Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson was there. Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis was there. Even safeties Daxton Hill (Michigan) and Lewis Cine (Georgia) were there — although everyone knows Dallas taking a first-round safety is a once-in-20-year event. Maybe they were due.

We discussed our reactions to the Tyler Smith pick in a special BTB Roundtable episode on the Blogging The Boys podcast network. Make sure to subscribe to our network so you don’t miss any of our episodes! Apple devices can subscribe here and Spotify users can subscribe here.

Instead the Cowboys went with Smith. The Cowboys seemingly weren’t able to find a trade partner — if their intentions were to ever move back. The Crowley High School product was penalty prone in college. Dallas will likely kick him inside at guard and see if he can beat out fourth-year veteran Connor McGovern for the left guard spot.

Dallas selects at Nos. 56 (Round 2) and 88 (Round 3) on Day 2. They can still find good value in those rounds. For instance in 2017, Dallas picked up cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis in rounds two and three to recover from the Day 1 headscratcher of Taco Charlton. Smith might not be Charlton, but the point is there is still value to be had later in the draft.

In the next rounds, the Cowboys could go after someone like Baylor safety Jalen Pitre. For the first time since 2013 with the J.J. Wilcox pick in round three, Dallas could grab a safety in the top-100. Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker is also there for the taking.

North Dakota State receiver Christian Watson is also in the second round, as is Western Michigan wideout Skyy Moore. Both receivers would makeup in some measure for the loss of Amari Cooper. SMU wideout Danny Gray could be a late-round option in the third.

The Cowboys also have a shot at edge defenders in Oklahoma’s Nik Bonnito, Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie, USC’s Drake Jackson, and Minnesota’s Boye Mafe. Dallas can shore up their pass rush with another young replacement given that Dorance Armstrong is expected to take over for Randy Gregory.

Dallas may have riled the fanbase with the Smith pick, but they can still please the masses on the second day and generate some optimism. If the Cowboys can give defensive coordinator Dan Quinn some younger pieces to work with, or grab a quality receiver, it will give the fans some relief.

We broke down what the selection of Tyler Smith means for the Dallas Cowboys on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel:

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