Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Balancing Value, Risk, and Need
By Reid Hanson
Dallas Cowboys trade picks 115, 192, and 227 to Detroit for 101
Round 4, Pick 101
D’Ante Smith, OT
East Carolina
Rated as OT11 by Brugler and 130 overall by the Draft Network, D’Ante Smith is a favorite pick of mine here in the Round 3-4 range. If I see him drop past the third round, I’m moving up to grab my favorite developmental offensive tackle in the draft.
At 6-foot-5, 305 lbs, and 35-inch arms, D’Ante Smith is long and lean and athletic. He’s extremely agile, balanced, and fleet of foot for a man his size and has a rare set of size and skills that are worth developing. The concern is Smith may not have the type of frame that can add and maintain typical OT weight.
It’s possible Smith can only marginally add to his mass, making him undersized in the NFL. But his athleticism may overcome that hurdle since he’s special in both pass protection and as a run blocking already.
Smith is a fun developmental prospect to have because he doesn’t need to start this year and maybe not even next year. The Dallas Cowboys are pretty solid, on paper at least, with Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, and they even have a solid swing tackle here in 2021.
D’Ante Smith could be an asset as soon as this season, depending on the role, but his future is clearly as a LT in the NFL and he seem very well equipped even with his questionable mass.