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USC offensive tackle Tyron Smith is working out for scouts at the school's Pro Day today. Tom Ciskowski, the Cowboys director of college and pro scouting, is among those watching with interest.
Smith is a candidate for the Cowboys with the ninth overall choice.
Draft analyst Dane Brugler offered his scouting report on Smith, whom Brugler ranks as the top offensive tackle:
1. TYRON SMITH | USC
6-5|307 lbs|3JR
Moreno Valley, CA (Rancho Verde HS)
12/12/1990 (age 20)
#70
A two-year starter, Tyron Smith was a highly-recruited top-5 OL recruit out of HS and earned scholarship offers from several major programs, choosing USC over Florida, Notre Dame and UCLA. He served as the back-up LT in 2008 as a true freshman (10 games played/0 starts). With Charles Brown at LT, Smith moved to the right side in 2009 and earned a starting role as a sophomore (12 gp/12 st), starting all but one game at RT. With top recruit Matt Kalil taking over at LT, Smith stayed at RT in 2010 as a junior (12 gp/12 st) and was the only offensive Trojan to earn First Team All-Pac 10 honors. He skipped his senior season and decided to go pro.
STRENGTHS:Smith looks the part with ideal measureables and frame for the position – extremely long arms (36½”). He is a coordinated athlete with elite fluidity, flexibility and range, doing a nice job covering a lot of ground with quick feet. Smith has impressive lateral quickness to ride rushers, sinking his hips, bending at the knees and sealing the edge. He has good mobility to get to the second level and is balanced blocking in space. Smith has done a nice job adding weight and muscle since enrolling in 2008 and shows good natural strength with a strong initial punch on contact. He is a good run blocker, sustaining and finishing blocks through the whistle. Smith offers versatility with two years starting experience at RT, but the skill-set to move over and play on the left side – offers a great deal of upside.
WEAKNESSES:Smith needs to continue to fill out his frame and add bulk to his body. He has yet to develop a stout anchor to hold his ground vs. bull rushers and isn’t overpowering to be a mauler in the run game. Smith tends to overextend and can be caught lunging, needing to show better discipline in his stance. He needs to improve his awareness and instincts in order to recognize and handle stunts and extra rushers – something that will come with more experience. Smith lacks a killer instinct and needs to be more physical in the run game. He is still young and unpolished with much developing left to do – most of his playing experience at USC came at RT with little time at LT. Smith does have some durability concerns after a minor knee issue that kept him from working out at the NFL Combine. He also needs to impress in his personal interviews because he is so young and was suspended for the bowl game in 2009 because of academic issues.
OVERALL:Smith is an extremely impressive physical specimen with elite measureables, athleticism and fluidity for the position – entered college under 260-pounds and was listed at 280-pounds entering the 2010 season so he has done a nice job getting stronger, but still has room to add bulk. He manned the RT spot the past two years at USC and doesn’t have great experience at LT, but he projects best on the left side in the NFL because of his rare foot quickness, balance and ideal skill-set to mirror rushers and block in space. Smith is a younger prospect who will be just 20-years old when the 2011 NFL season begins and still has a lot of developing and growing yet to do, but is the most athletic lineman in this draft and has a very high ceiling and Pro Bowl potential, deserving top-10 consideration.
PROJECTION: Top-10 Overall
COMPARISON: D’Brickashaw Ferguson
WORKOUT RESULTS:TBD
Smith is a candidate for the Cowboys with the ninth overall choice.
Draft analyst Dane Brugler offered his scouting report on Smith, whom Brugler ranks as the top offensive tackle:
1. TYRON SMITH | USC
6-5|307 lbs|3JR
Moreno Valley, CA (Rancho Verde HS)
12/12/1990 (age 20)
#70
A two-year starter, Tyron Smith was a highly-recruited top-5 OL recruit out of HS and earned scholarship offers from several major programs, choosing USC over Florida, Notre Dame and UCLA. He served as the back-up LT in 2008 as a true freshman (10 games played/0 starts). With Charles Brown at LT, Smith moved to the right side in 2009 and earned a starting role as a sophomore (12 gp/12 st), starting all but one game at RT. With top recruit Matt Kalil taking over at LT, Smith stayed at RT in 2010 as a junior (12 gp/12 st) and was the only offensive Trojan to earn First Team All-Pac 10 honors. He skipped his senior season and decided to go pro.
STRENGTHS:Smith looks the part with ideal measureables and frame for the position – extremely long arms (36½”). He is a coordinated athlete with elite fluidity, flexibility and range, doing a nice job covering a lot of ground with quick feet. Smith has impressive lateral quickness to ride rushers, sinking his hips, bending at the knees and sealing the edge. He has good mobility to get to the second level and is balanced blocking in space. Smith has done a nice job adding weight and muscle since enrolling in 2008 and shows good natural strength with a strong initial punch on contact. He is a good run blocker, sustaining and finishing blocks through the whistle. Smith offers versatility with two years starting experience at RT, but the skill-set to move over and play on the left side – offers a great deal of upside.
WEAKNESSES:Smith needs to continue to fill out his frame and add bulk to his body. He has yet to develop a stout anchor to hold his ground vs. bull rushers and isn’t overpowering to be a mauler in the run game. Smith tends to overextend and can be caught lunging, needing to show better discipline in his stance. He needs to improve his awareness and instincts in order to recognize and handle stunts and extra rushers – something that will come with more experience. Smith lacks a killer instinct and needs to be more physical in the run game. He is still young and unpolished with much developing left to do – most of his playing experience at USC came at RT with little time at LT. Smith does have some durability concerns after a minor knee issue that kept him from working out at the NFL Combine. He also needs to impress in his personal interviews because he is so young and was suspended for the bowl game in 2009 because of academic issues.
OVERALL:Smith is an extremely impressive physical specimen with elite measureables, athleticism and fluidity for the position – entered college under 260-pounds and was listed at 280-pounds entering the 2010 season so he has done a nice job getting stronger, but still has room to add bulk. He manned the RT spot the past two years at USC and doesn’t have great experience at LT, but he projects best on the left side in the NFL because of his rare foot quickness, balance and ideal skill-set to mirror rushers and block in space. Smith is a younger prospect who will be just 20-years old when the 2011 NFL season begins and still has a lot of developing and growing yet to do, but is the most athletic lineman in this draft and has a very high ceiling and Pro Bowl potential, deserving top-10 consideration.
PROJECTION: Top-10 Overall
COMPARISON: D’Brickashaw Ferguson
WORKOUT RESULTS:TBD
