Life moving fast for Cowboys’ rookie OL Tyler Smith

Everyday living is a bit surreal for Tyler Smith these days.

1 morning, the rookie offensive lineman, who just turned 21 in April, is possessing a relaxed chat with previous 1st-round draft select and five-time All-Professional Zack Martin. They had been “chopping it up,” he says, about the finer points of go security procedure. A number of hours later, he’s in his boyhood bedroom ready on his laundry and asking what is for evening meal.

1 of the rewards of escalating up in Fort Well worth and remaining a very first-spherical draft select of the Dallas Cowboys.

“I can just go to my mom’s household each individual off day and get my apparel washed,” Smith spelled out this 7 days as OTAs acquired underway. “Being in a position to chat to your spouse and children, like if you have a difficult working day, or you just want to go residence and try to eat a home-cooked meal. That’s often cool.”

He’s just a number of weeks into his pro vocation, but it previously feels like Smith is at home in the Cowboys locker area. The veterans have been brief to get the rookies below their wings, he suggests, with an eye toward getting every person video game-completely ready as before long as doable.

“It’s been a definitely excellent procedure,” Smith explained. “It’s excellent work, too. We’re no-holds-barred when we go at it, it is very good competitors. Safe and sound, but it’s superior. It’s fantastic to get again to get the job done.”

Rookie OL Tyler Smith claimed the focus of the offensive line and the messaging has been weaponizing the snap off the ball. He’s working with 2nd team at LG although Connor McGovern took initial but claims they’re all competing. Says Dak a neat dude who has already invited him to occasions

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) May perhaps 25, 2022

Matters could have easily seemed pretty different for Smith correct now. He had the opportunity to keep at Tulsa for a different calendar year of eligibility. He even passed up backchannel “six-figure” presents from some of the nation’s premiere packages to transfer. He could possibly have been a leading-10 or even major-five decide at offensive deal with in the 2023 draft.

In its place, he went 24th, and the finding out curve has presently begun.

“Everything’s commencing to speed up,” he mentioned, echoing the text of most faculty players the moment they access the pro level.

Which is been the most significant adjustment so significantly for the 6-foot-6-inch 330-pounder, slated to very likely engage in still left guard as he also prepares to just one working day just take more than for still another previous first-spherical choose, eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith.

“Learning to participate in secure in the speed of the video game. Anything speeds up each and every amount you go up,” the rookie defined. “Just earning confident you are doing your movie study appropriate, you’re functioning your method, all these very little things just to make absolutely sure that when you go on the snap of the ball, there’s no mismatch, no lag: just getting in a position to go complete speed.”

Smith is mastering that, for a initial-12 months pro with big expectations put on him, existence moves blindingly quickly. The bigger-than-everyday living players he grew up seeing as a youngster in Fort Well worth are now his teammates with whom he shares a locker area just across city.

And some of them may perhaps be coming above to mom’s house before long for some of mom’s cooking at the traditional O-line meal.

“It’s coming up,” Smith laughed. “We’ll be superior, while. The guys, they are going to eat. But I’ll be taking in, way too, so I can’t even get mad at them.”