No. 3 Tyron Smith, LT
Dallas Cowboys: 2011-Present
It seems like Tyron Smith has been with the Dallas Cowboys forever. He was the first piece in the great O-line makeover of the 2010s decade. Despite constant injury concern, the 9th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft has turned out aces for the Dallas Cowboys.
Smith started off his NFL career as a right tackle but it didn’t take long for him to move to Tony Romo’s blind side and become arguably the best offensive tackle of the decade. Smith came into the NFL abnormally young and abnormally fit. He represented the new era of lean linemen that were rare before, but commonplace today. Nine years into his career, and Smith is still one of the fittest players on the team.
Chronic back injuries have plagued Tyron the back half of this decade leading to his permanent presence on the injury report each week. But even at 80-90 percent, Smith has been a Pro Bowl level performer and cornerstone of this brilliant offensive line.
Smith was uncharacteristically tagged with extra penalties the past two seasons (10 in 2018 and 7 in 2019) but upon review those penalties were largely illegitimate, even leading to league acknowledgement.
Like Frederick, Smith has spent time this decade at the absolute peak of his profession (2 All-Pros as the best LT in the NFL) and at age 29 he still has plenty in tank to be a dominant presence into the next decade.
Even with a constant back issue the past four seasons, Smith has been a dominant force and perennial Pro Bowler. He’s clearly a top-5 player of the decade for the Dallas Cowboys.