Midseason NFL Offensive Line All-Pros
LT Tyron Smith – Cowboys
7 starts in 2017, 97% of snaps played
7th season, 99 career starts
In my process of determining the starting left tackle for the midseason All-Pro team it came down to Commanders LT Trent Williams, Eagles LT Jason Peters, Rams LT
Andrew Whitworth, and Smith. Once Williams and Peters missed a game I focused in on Whitworth and Smith, watching 3 games of each. Smith easily was the better player based on that initial benchmark of games, so I went ahead and watched every snap of his from the season, coming away much more impressed than originally thought.
Smith has been dealing with a nagging back injury throughout the year, periodically evident on film, but far less severe than I had heard about and seen in limited exposures. Once I finished all
468 snaps it became clear that Smith is still among the elite at his position.
Demonstrating elite athletic ability, premier length, uncanny punch timing in pass-protection, and flawless footwork in the running game, Smith is still a commanding force capable of enforcing his will on defenders and reducing all levels of competition to a lower level.
Since being named
first-team All-Pro in 2016, Smith’s level of play has taken a bit of a hit in 2017, showing occasional sluggishness redirecting in pass-protection to cut-off inside counters from elite-rushers, but considering the unmatched year he had last season, this slight drop in play does not hinder him from winning the vast majority of snaps with relative ease. Nobody in the NFL pairs the level of refinement in their technique with the awe-inspiring physical tools that Smith possesses. Back injury or not, turn on the film and Smith will still wow you with his mastery of the position.