New documentary shows Cowboys’ draft night debate over Mazi Smith, offensive lineman
A new documentary taking football fans inside draft weekend like never before is set to premiere on Roku on Friday, Aug. 25. NFL Draft: The Pick is In will feature four teams- including the Cowboys- going through the three days of the 2023 draft, with camera crews having had extensive access to both the inner workings of the front offices and the prospects themselves as they wait to hear their names called.
A clip released to social media prior to the documentary’s debut offers a fascinating glimpse into how the Cowboys brass settled on Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith with their first-round selection, how they debated internally over taking another offensive lineman, and how a last-minute phone call from the defending Super Bowl champs almost changed everything.
In the short clip, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sets the table by telling the staffers assembled in the team’s draft room that the players ranked 12th and 13th on their board are both still available as they near their time on the clock.
One of those prospects is Syracuse lineman Matthew Bergeron. Smith is the other. Jones opens the discussion by claiming, “Mazi would create a dynamic that we do not have now,” and saying he’s ready to turn in Smith’s card.
But Jones then opens up the floor for comments, asking the coaches and scouts in the room to try to change his mind.
As Dallas imagines an offensive line with their left tackle (Tyler Smith), left guard (Bergeron), and center (Tyler Biadasz) all 25 years old or younger and all being long-term staples for the team, Buffalo trades up to select tight end Dalton Kincaid, who was believed at the time to be a prime Cowboys target.
Will McClay, Cowboys vice president of player personnel casts a vote for Smith, explaining how he “helps us now and in the future.” Jones reiterates what a “hell of a strategic pick” a nose tackle would be. Head coach Mike McCarthy unequivocally states that Smith makes the run defense better immediately.
And then the phone rings, with the Chiefs offering to trade their first-round pick (31st overall) and their third-round pick (95th overall) to take the Cowboys’ spot at 26.
Full deliberation in the Cowboys war room between Bergeron and Mazi. It seems like both were rated 12th and 13th on their board? Also shows the Chiefs offered a 3rd to trade into their spot pic.twitter.com/5qL6XX5j5i
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 25, 2023
But Jones wonders if trading back five spots means both Smith and Bergeron go elsewhere.
“Without trying to influence anybody here,” he says, “I’m sick as [expletive] if we miss both these guys.”
McCarthy backs him up, reminding the room that fixing the run defense was the prime directive of the entire offseason.
And the decision is made; the Cowboys select Smith with the 26th pick.
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Bergeron eventually goes to Atlanta early in the second round. The Chiefs keep the 31st pick to select Kansas State edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah and then deal away that third-round pick the next night, moving up a few slots to take Oklahoma offensive lineman Wanya Morris at 92.
It’s high-stakes drama within a documentary that also promises to feature 2023 rookies Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud, and Devon Witherspoon, among others. First-year Cowboys DeMarvion Overshown and Deuce Vaughn should also get plenty of screen time.
NFL Draft: The Pick is In was produced for Roku by NFL Films and Skydance Sports. Skydance will also be behind the forthcoming docu-series (as yet untitled) chronicling Jones’s life and the rise of the Cowboys under his ownership, charting the journey from a team that was losing over $1 million a month to the most valuable sports franchise on the planet.
