It's never too late for Jerry Jones to pull the rug out from under Dallas Cowboys' fans, but on Thursday morning the team's first-round pick is looking like a sure thing. It doesn't matter if you're listening to Dane Brugler, Matt Miller, Field Yates or Daniel Jeremiah; everyone is in agreement that Dallas is drafting Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 12.
That's great news for Cowboys fans, but it's also going to be a huge relief and lead to a largely undeserved second chance for the Cowboys' 2023 first-round pick.
Mazi Smith Gets Lucky With Cowboys Targeting Tetairoa McMillan
Mazi Smith has been an absolute bust since the Cowboys took him with the No. 26 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He was supposed to be a relatively safe prospect who would immediately step in and make a huge defense as a run-stuffer on the interior. He didn't offer much pass-rush upside, but that was supposed to be made up for by his ability in run defense.
Instead he's been terrible in both areas of the game.
His 2 sacks and 6 QB hits through 34 NFL games are expectedly low. But as a run defender, PFF had him ranked an absurd 201st among 219 qualifying defensive tackles in 2024. And that grade of 35.9 was actually somehow an upgrade over his rookie number (34.9).
And someone going off the board right around No. 12 in most mock drafts is Walter Nolen, the Ole Miss defensive tackle who would be the perfect replacement for Smith. Nolen, too, struggles as a pass-rusher, but that doesn't matter much with Osa Ogdizhuwa providing the pressure from the interior. Dallas needs a run-stuffer, and Nolen is an elite prospect in that area.
So assuming Jones doesn't pull some nonsense on Thursday night, Mazi Smith should be celebrating just as hard as Cowboys fans are about the McMillan pick.