Micah Parsons 'super excited' to see Cowboys rookie Mazi Smith be dominant
The Dallas Cowboys are taking things slow with 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith, as the former Michigan standout defensive tackle has seen just 40 snaps through three games.
Though he’s seldom found his way on the stat sheet, recording three tackles (one solo), his defensive teammate, Micah Parsons, believes the breakout is coming soon. Speaking on his “The Edge” podcast Monday, Parsons predicted that Smith would be a “dominant” force late in the season.
“I think Mazi is coming along great,” Parsons said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “I think mid-season, late in the season, we got a chance to see Mazi be dominant. I’m super excited for him. I can’t wait to see that.”
The Cowboys selected Smith with the 26th overall pick coming off back-to-back College Football Playoff runs in 2021 and 2022 with the Wolverines. Smith amassed 88 tackles and half a sack at Michigan serving as a stalwart on the defensive line.
Can Mazi Smith carve out larger role in Cowboys’ defense?
For now, Smith remains tucked behind veteran Johnathan Hankins on the depth chart, but could earn more playing time if he takes advantage of the snaps he receives every game. Smith’s role is to stop the run, something that came natural to the 6-foot-3, 337-pounder during his time at Michigan. While some would like to see him contribute more to the pass rush, the Cowboys maintain he was brought in to stop opposing running backs.
“He’s a run stopper and he strong as hell,” Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones said last month. “Everyone wants to see him rushing the passer but that’s not what we want. He’ll ultimately get better and better at it but you know what he does best is not necessarily sexy or jumps off the page.”
Hankins, meanwhile, cautioned fans that it could take some time for Smith to realize his full potential.
“It’s going to take him some time,” Hankins said. “He’s doing everything we asked. The dude is a special talent. Don’t get me wrong, once he gets his hands on guys it’s nothing they can do. He just has to continue to work and run to the ball and do the little small things we do out there on the field. He ain’t too far behind.”