The Dallas Cowboys selected former Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith with the No. 26 in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told the media Dallas has changed how they evaluate prospects with a skill set like Smith’s.
“A key player with that much lead, base, that much strength, that much disruption as opposed to how many sacks he gets. That kind of thinking, you wouldn’t have seen that from us ten years ago, nine years ago,” Jones said.
Smith was known as a rushing lane clogger but didn’t have much success getting to the quarterback or making tackles in the backfield.