Intrigue surrounded the Cowboys as their pick in the first round approached. Were they targeting Dalton Kincaid, the tight end Buffalo landed after trading ahead of Dallas? It seemed plausible after the Cowboys let veteran tight end
Dalton Schultz leave in free agency. The Bills said they had “a good feeling” Kincaid was going to be Dallas’ man.
“That’s a dangerous game to play, because what if Dalton Kincaid isn’t the best tight end out there?” an exec said. “What if Dallas had (Michael) Mayer as their top tight end, but really wanted Mazi Smith all along? I’m old enough to remember when the Eagles outmaneuvered Houston for the tackle,
Andre Dillard. How did that work out?”
Dallas got its Schultz replacement in the second round with Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. Smith, also from Michigan, delivers girth to a Dallas defense that must face within its own division the Giants’
Saquon Barkley, the Eagles’ innovative sneak packages and a
Washington team with three runners weighting at least 220 pounds.
“I’m not a huge fan of taking a two-down nose high, but Mazi Smith is a good player,” another exec said. “He will control the middle of the field. He gives them some needed beef, he plays with leverage, he is strong, he has enough range to go tackle to tackle. He is good at what he does, even if you don’t love the skill set early in the draft.”