Tyron Smith, the junior offensive tackle from the USC Trojans, has been steadily climbing the countless 2011 NFL mock draft boards in the last few months. Smith's athleticism has impressed scouts and coaches in various workouts, and the 21-year old is looking more and more like a top ten pick. In fact, Peter King of Sports Illustrated projected Smith to get picked ninth by the Dallas Cowboys:
↵↵↵↵Dallas can take the long-term replacement for right tackle Marc Colombo here, and the choice is between the raw but athletically gifted 20-year-old (Smith) or the proven commodity who is the most versatile lineman in the draft ([Anthony] Castonzo [of Boston College]). Smith's not a bad pick, but with a roaming QB in Tony Romo, who's subjected to lots of hits and coming off a season-ending injury, give me the surer thing, please.
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For more news and information on Tyron Smith or on USC football, be sure to read the SB Nation blog Conquest Chronicles.