Mazi Smith Selected 26th by Dallas Cowboys in 2023 NFL Draft
4/27/2023 11:45:00 PM | Football
• Draft Tracker
• Michigan Draft Central
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Dallas Cowboys selected University of Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with the 26th pick of the 2023 NFL Draft held Thursday (April 27) in front of Kansas City's Union Station. This is the fifth straight draft that a Wolverine has been selected in the first round (2019-current).
Smith became the third Wolverine selected in the first round by the Cowboys, joining defensive ends Kevin Brooks (eighth pick, 1985) and Taco Charlton (28th pick, 2017).
The Cowboys used their first-round selection to pick on the East Kentwood High School product from Grand Rapids. Smith is the 11th Wolverine chosen by the Cowboys and becomes the first U-M player selected since defensive end Taco Charlton and cornerback Jourdan Lewis in the 2017 draft.
Smith started all 28 games during Michigan's back-to-back Big Ten Championship seasons. The starting nose tackle recorded 83 of his 88 career tackles in 2021 and 2022, including 5.0 tackles for loss, a shared sack, one fumble recovery and three pass breakups. A four-year letterman, Smith saw action in 35 career games with 88 stops and six TFLs. He was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and graduated with a degree in creative writing and literature.
A team captain and the Wolverines' Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, Smith anchored the defensive line with a career-best 48 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 0.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He earned All-Big Ten first team honors from the coaches and media and was a candidate for the Bednarik Award. Smith raised his play from 2021, where he posted 37 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and four PBUs in 14 starting assignments.
The second and third rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft will be held Friday evening (April 28) starting at 7 p.m. ET. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network
Notes
• Smith became the highest drafted Michigan interior defensive lineman in the modern era of the NFL Draft.
• With the selection of Smith, a Michigan player has been selected in 85 consecutive NFL Drafts (1938 to present), continuing the program's NCAA record streak among its peers.
• Smith became the 52nd NFL first-round pick in school history.
• Smith is the 45th player drafted during head coach Jim Harbaugh's tenure, including the ninth first-round pick.
• Smith is the fifth Wolverine defensive lineman selected in the first round in the past seven drafts and the first defensive tackle: Aidan Hutchinson (2022, Lions), Kwity Paye (2021, Colts), Rashan Gary (2019, Packers) and Taco Charlton (Cowboys, 2017).
