Dallas Cowboys select Mazi Smith in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

With the No. 26 overall pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected defensive tackle Mazi Smith out of Michigan.

Following a busy offseason of deal-making, the Cowboys entered the draft with few pressing needs for the 2023 roster.

“Dontari Poe might be the physical and athletic player comparison for Smith, but more consistency from Smith is needed before he finds the Pro Bowl, as Poe did twice in his career,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein said in his scouting report. “Smith’s blend of size and quickness is rare. He can punch and control a base block with relative ease. However, he struggles to match the initial movement of move blockers, which diminishes his effectiveness. He has space-eating potential but needs to become more consistent at taking on double teams and securing his gap.”

Cowboys sign veteran starters, defensive stars to new deals

The 2023 offseason has been one of major changes for the Cowboys. Kicking things off, Mike McCarthy gave the coaching staff a re-vamp. The team opted not to renew the contracts of eight coaching staff members, including offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier.

After the staff departures, Dallas won big by holding on to defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for at least another season. They fought back against teams pursuing the former Falcons head coach for open top jobs. Then, McCarthy promoted Brian Schottenheimer to OC after revealing his plans to take over playcalling himself in 2023. They also assigned Scott Tolzein the role of quarterbacks coach.

In an uncharacteristic move, the Cowboys were active from the jump in free agency. They signed safety Donovan Wilson, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, DE Dante Fowler, tackle Johnathan Hankins and franchise-tagged Tony Pollard to keep them off the free agency market.

Jerry Jones and his front office also executed trades that sent two 2023 fifth-round picks out of Dallas in exchange for former Texans wideout Brandin Cooks and former Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Dallas also signed outside free agents this offseason, picking up running back Ronald Jones, offensive lineman Chuma Edoga and long snapper Trent Sieg.

Notable names no longer with the Cowboys are TE Dalton Schultz, WR Noah Brown, OL Connor McGovern, DT Carlos Watkins and RB Ezekiel Elliott. Dallas released Elliott after seven seasons, saving major cap space for the 2023 season.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft, which began Thursday, April 27, continues through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft began at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Following two trades that cost them two fifth-round compensatory picks (No. 161, No. 169), these are the seven draft picks for the Cowboys this year.

• Round 1, No. 26
• Round 2, No. 58
• Round 3, No. 90
• Round 4, No. 128
• Round 5, No. 176*
• Round 6, No. 212*
• Round 7, No. 243

*denotes compensatory pick