Tyron Smith

Not to be confused with Tyran Smith.
Tyron Smith

refer to caption

Smith (right) and Kris O'Dowd during USC Pro Day 2011
No. 77 Dallas Cowboys
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1990-12-12) December 12, 1990
Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school: Moreno Valley (CA) Rancho Verde
College: USC
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
NFL
College
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2016
Games played: 83
Games started: 83
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Tyron Smith (born December 12, 1990) is an American football offensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC where he won the Morris Trophy, recognizing the best offensive and defensive linemen on the West Coast, in 2010. Smith was drafted by the Cowboys ninth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft.

High school career

Smith attended Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California, where he played on the offensive and defensive line. He earned All-American honors by Parade, SuperPrep, PrepStar, Scout.com, and EA Sports, while also receiving numerous other All-Region honors. As a junior in 2006, he made Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass second team, All-CIF Central Division first team and Riverside Press-Enterprise All-Riverside County second team. Smith played in the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Also a standout in track & field at Rancho Verde, Smith notched top-throws of 14.23 meters (46 feet, 7 inches) in the shot put and 46.62 meters (152 feet, 10 inches) in the discus.[1]

Considered a five-star recruit and described as "an amazing right tackle prospect" by Rivals.com, Smith was ranked as the No. 6 offensive tackle prospect.[2] Scout.com, who also viewed Smith as a five-star recruit, listed him as the No. 1 offensive tackle prospect in the nation.[3]

College career

In his initial year at USC, Smith served as the back-up left offensive tackle behind Charles Brown, and appeared on special teams. He appeared in 10 games of the 2008 season. In his sophomore year, he became a starter at right tackle, appearing in every game of the season except for the 2009 Emerald Bowl due to academic ineligibility. He made 2009 All-Pac-10 honorable mention and CollegeFootballNews.com Sophomore All-American honorable mention.

In 2010, Smith competed with sophomore Matt Kalil for Brown's succession at left tackle, eventually losing out. He remained starting right tackle, and was first team All-Pac-10. He also won the Morris Trophy award as the conference's top offensive lineman.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft

Smith was considered one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the 2011 NFL Draft, along with Gabe Carimi, Anthony Castonzo, and Nate Solder.[4] Selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 9th overall pick,[5] Smith was the first offensive lineman off the board, and the lowest for the first offensive lineman since Jammal Brown in 2005. He was the first offensive lineman drafted in the first round by the Cowboys since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989, and the highest in franchise history since John Niland in 1966. He signed a four-year, $12.5 million contract.[6]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 5 in 307 lb36⅜ in11 in 4.93 s 1.69 s 2.87 s 4.68 s 7.47 s 29 in 9 ft 1 in 31 reps
All values from NFL Combine, except bench press and 40 yard dash. (Pro Day)[7]

Dallas Cowboys

2011 season

Entering the league as a 20-year-old rookie, he was named a starter at right tackle from the first day of Organized Team Activities, with Doug Free taking over the left tackle spot. His role became even more important after the Cowboys released during the preseason veteran offensive linemen Marc Colombo, Leonard Davis, Andre Gurode and Montrae Holland. He started every game and earned praise for his play, prompting the media to speculate on a possible move to left tackle in the next season.[8]

2012 season

Starting the 2012 season, Tyron has switched to starting left tackle, switching sides on the offensive line with Free. On September 12, Smith was fined $15,000 for a horse-collar tackle he did during the season opener against the New York Giants. However, little celebrated was the fact that the tackle was touchdown saving coming after an interception, which led to a goal line stand by the Dallas defense.[9]

2013 season

In his third year with the Cowboys, Smith committed just one holding penalty and allowed only one sack in his 16 starts. He was named to the 2013 Pro Bowl on Team Rice.[10]

2014 season

Smith signed an 8-year, $109 million contract extension with the Cowboys in July, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league at the time.[11] He was widely considered one of the top three offensive tackles in the league, and for his play against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the first offensive lineman in 10 years to be named offensive player of the week.[12] He started all 16 games for the NFL's second ranked rushing offense, while helping DeMarco Murray become the league's rushing leader.

2015 season

Smith started all 16 games, helped clear the way for the NFL's fourth leading rusher (Darren McFadden) and earned his third Pro Bowl selections

Personal life

Smith was born in Inglewood, California. He grew up in Moreno Valley, California. His father died when he was one year old. He has two sisters, Tiari Dennis and Tamia Pinkney. He has a son, Jaxson (born in June 2012), with ,Lexi Placourakis.

References

  1. ↑ "High School Track and Field Data". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Rivals.com offensive tackles 2008, January 16, 2008
  3. ↑ "10 things to know about Tyron Smith". Dallas News. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Draft preview: Best of offensive line prospects". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Cowboys take OT Tyron Smith at No. 9". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Tyron Smith, 20, isn't showing his age". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  7. ↑ Sportsdaydfw.com. "Draft analysts on Cowboys' Tyron Smith: He's an 'immediate replacement'". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 4 April 2016.
  8. ↑ "Cowboys want Tyron Smith at left tackle". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Tyron Smith fined for key horse-collar tackle". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  10. ↑ "2014 Pro Bowl rosters". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ Keown, Tim (November 26, 2014). "Financial requests overwhelm Smith". ESPN Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Dallas Cowboys' Tyron Smith named NFC offensive player of week". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
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