Grading 1st-round draft choices of the Eagles rivals in the NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys may have bolstered their defensive line in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The Eagles, Giants, and Commanders all have a few things in common. Two of these are they all are home to effective rushing attacks, and all have had their issues with stopping the opposing team’s running games at times.

Dallas’s run defense wasn’t great last year, and that’s putting things mildly. They finished the season ranked 22nd among the NFL’s 32 teams having given up 129.3 yards per game. They entered the NFL Draft looking to cure this. They may have done so in part by taking the 323-pound, six-foot-three-inch Mazi Smith out of Michigan with the 26th-overall selection.

The former Wolverine figures to primarily be used as a run-stopper. He hasn’t ever shown much production as a pass rusher in college. He only managed 0.5 sacks in four years.

He did, however, help The Maze and Blue’s cause by tallying 88 tackles including six that resulted in a loss of yardage and one forced fumble during his 30 NCAA games. The biggest negatives on Smith are his effort on the field has been questioned and he sometimes lacked consistency. There’s also another question worth asking.

Did the Cowboys reach and draft a player in Round 1 that should have been a day-two selection?

Grade: C