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Ready Or Not
Track Record For Top 10 Tackles
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - When the Cowboys ended a 30-year draught of drafting offensive linemen in the first round with the selection of Tryon Smith about a month ago, one thing was pretty clear in these uncertain times.
Smith is going to start for this Cowboys team. And it's probably not going to be something that takes any time. Ready or not, look for the 20-year-old from USC to crack the starting lineup right away.
Now that' a no-brainer. Anyone who follows this league should know that teams aren't investing the money in Top 10 players, especially at offensive tackle, and not expecting them to play right now. Even owner Jerry Jones said that a player like this will take someone's spot on the offensive line, and it's a foregone conclusion that Marc Colombo's stint with the Cowboys, at least as the starting right tackle, is over.
But that's certainly not the concern about Smith. Yeah, he'll start, but will he be ready? And that'll be an interesting question for a lot of rookies this year, as they will get a later start than usual in the learning process because of the current work stoppage that has created a sense of uncertainty league-wide.
With the lockout factored into the mix, it's not easy to compare other first-round tackles who haven't experienced this current situation.
Still, with the exception of a few first-round busts that occur at every position, the success rate for Top 10 offensive tackles since 2000 has been rather impressive.
Three of the best in the game - Cleveland's Joe Thomas, Miami's Jake Long and D'Brickashaw Ferguson of the Jets - were all top-five picks since 2006 and have a combined nine Pro Bowls, all playing in the AFC.
In 2003, Carolina took Jordan Gross with the No. 8 pick and he's been a fixture for the Panthers' offensive line, earning two Pro Bowls.
Last year, two offensive tackles were taken in the Top 10 with Washington selecting Trent Williams (No. 4 overall) and Russell Okung going sixth to the Seahawks. Okung had some injuries last season that sidelined him for six games, but he was Seattle's starting left tackle in the other 10. Williams was the Redskins' starting left tackle for 13 games as well.
Guys like Cincinnati's Andre Smith (sixth overall in 2009) are the exception to the rule, considering he hasn't been a regular starter for the Bengals and has played just 13 games. And you've got Leonard Davis, the 2nd overall pick of the Cardinals in 2001, and Oakland's Robert Galley, who also went No. 2 overall in 2004. They didn't exactly pan out as tackles, but have resurrected their careers playing the guard position.
But those are rather unique cases, considering Andre Smith had plenty of question marks before his selection, one that was very surprising around the league. And Davis and Gallery were drafted in a time when guards weren't getting outlandish contracts so the pick was justified by putting them at tackle. Clearly, those two players have found a better niche at guard.
For Tyron Smith, there is no question about his position - other than playing either left or right tackle.
"I think they want me to play left," Smith said after being chosen back in April. "That's what they've told me they prefer. But I'll play wherever they want me to play."
Smith actually played right tackle at USC and with the Cowboys expected to re-sign Doug Free, who played well in his first full season at left tackle last year, it would make sense for Smith to be eased into the situation.
Cowboys offensive line coach Hudson Houck didn't commit to either side for Smith, but has predicting one thing.
"He's going to be a very good football player for us," Houck said. "I'm very excited about this kid. We're just going to look and see what we've got. We'll work him at either side and see how it works out. We know we have a good left tackle (Free) now, so we'll see how it goes. But I think Tyron Smith is going to be a very good player for us right away."
Track Record For Top 10 Tackles
Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas - When the Cowboys ended a 30-year draught of drafting offensive linemen in the first round with the selection of Tryon Smith about a month ago, one thing was pretty clear in these uncertain times.
Smith is going to start for this Cowboys team. And it's probably not going to be something that takes any time. Ready or not, look for the 20-year-old from USC to crack the starting lineup right away.
Now that' a no-brainer. Anyone who follows this league should know that teams aren't investing the money in Top 10 players, especially at offensive tackle, and not expecting them to play right now. Even owner Jerry Jones said that a player like this will take someone's spot on the offensive line, and it's a foregone conclusion that Marc Colombo's stint with the Cowboys, at least as the starting right tackle, is over.
But that's certainly not the concern about Smith. Yeah, he'll start, but will he be ready? And that'll be an interesting question for a lot of rookies this year, as they will get a later start than usual in the learning process because of the current work stoppage that has created a sense of uncertainty league-wide.
With the lockout factored into the mix, it's not easy to compare other first-round tackles who haven't experienced this current situation.
Still, with the exception of a few first-round busts that occur at every position, the success rate for Top 10 offensive tackles since 2000 has been rather impressive.
Three of the best in the game - Cleveland's Joe Thomas, Miami's Jake Long and D'Brickashaw Ferguson of the Jets - were all top-five picks since 2006 and have a combined nine Pro Bowls, all playing in the AFC.
In 2003, Carolina took Jordan Gross with the No. 8 pick and he's been a fixture for the Panthers' offensive line, earning two Pro Bowls.
Last year, two offensive tackles were taken in the Top 10 with Washington selecting Trent Williams (No. 4 overall) and Russell Okung going sixth to the Seahawks. Okung had some injuries last season that sidelined him for six games, but he was Seattle's starting left tackle in the other 10. Williams was the Redskins' starting left tackle for 13 games as well.
Guys like Cincinnati's Andre Smith (sixth overall in 2009) are the exception to the rule, considering he hasn't been a regular starter for the Bengals and has played just 13 games. And you've got Leonard Davis, the 2nd overall pick of the Cardinals in 2001, and Oakland's Robert Galley, who also went No. 2 overall in 2004. They didn't exactly pan out as tackles, but have resurrected their careers playing the guard position.
But those are rather unique cases, considering Andre Smith had plenty of question marks before his selection, one that was very surprising around the league. And Davis and Gallery were drafted in a time when guards weren't getting outlandish contracts so the pick was justified by putting them at tackle. Clearly, those two players have found a better niche at guard.
For Tyron Smith, there is no question about his position - other than playing either left or right tackle.
"I think they want me to play left," Smith said after being chosen back in April. "That's what they've told me they prefer. But I'll play wherever they want me to play."
Smith actually played right tackle at USC and with the Cowboys expected to re-sign Doug Free, who played well in his first full season at left tackle last year, it would make sense for Smith to be eased into the situation.
Cowboys offensive line coach Hudson Houck didn't commit to either side for Smith, but has predicting one thing.
"He's going to be a very good football player for us," Houck said. "I'm very excited about this kid. We're just going to look and see what we've got. We'll work him at either side and see how it works out. We know we have a good left tackle (Free) now, so we'll see how it goes. But I think Tyron Smith is going to be a very good player for us right away."