Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft V4.1: Draft visits edition
By Carl Daley
Round 3, Pick 81: Braden Smith-Offensive Tackle- (Auburn)
The Dallas Cowboys get lucky again and land one of the best offensive linemen remaining in the draft. Braden Smith would come in and make an excellent backup to Tyron Smith but could also start at right guard if he impressed enough in camp. Smith is a solid talent with good fundamentals.
His strength is probably his most impressive asset however he has struggled in maintaining blocks throughout his career. His aggression is one of his biggest strengths and could become a better Doug Free with time.
The main reason I like him for Dallas is because they already have a strong line and the stars to line up next to him. The offensive line talent in the draft class is fairly weak as most players have a second round or later grade.
The highest ranked linemen will likely be taken within the first ten picks. Smith is middle of the pack when it comes to the top offensive linemen in this draft, that plus a large run on cornerbacks and receivers in the second help push Smith down for enough for the Cowboys to select him.
While he may not be a guard Smith will likely be versatile enough to learn that position on the right side of the line. His biggest value will likely come from backing up Tyron Smith in case of emergency because as we saw last year their plan for that scenario did not work.
The Dallas Cowboys have also added several offensive linemen throughout free agency so waiting for one until the third round makes sense.