Watch the moment Tyler Smith found out he’d be a Dallas Cowboy

The Dallas Cowboys had a clear need for offensive line help entering the 2022 NFL Draft. Most people assumed that the Cowboys would get one of two names they were often associated with: Kenyon Green or Zion Johnson. But when Green got picked up by the Houston Texans and Johnson got picked by the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the Cowboys’ 24th overall pick, people weren’t really sure who Dallas would take.

To the surprise of many, the Cowboys went with young and raw Tulsa OT Tyler Smith. It seemed to be a shock for Smith himself, too. After getting drafted he told the press:

"“Man, I was shocked. A lot of my coaches said there was a great chance (but) I can’t say I even dialogued with the team that much throughout the process, but like it was a shock to me. I can’t even lie. I’m more than blessed to be here. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s indescribable being able to finally come home after all this time to be able to play for America’s Team. It’s a dream come true. I grew up watching this team.”"

The Texas native wasn’t in Las Vegas for the draft, but Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News was able to find the video of the offensive lineman finding out his dream came true. One of the first things he said to Jerry Jones was “we are pinching ourselves.”

Video on Twitter shows the moment Cowboys first-round pick Tyler Smith found out he’d be a Dallas Cowboy

“Ain’t too many teams like America’s Team. Thank you for bringing me home,” said Smith. The video finished with the 21-year-old prospect watching his name called by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on TV as his family erupts in applause.

It truly seems like Smith was not expecting this moment. After he and his family made their way to The Star the morning after he was drafted, the first-rounder revealed more about his draft experience. He told the press that no one warned him that there was a delay in the TV broadcast. He saw footage of Mike McCarthy on a phone on the draft broadcast and assumed it just wasn’t his turn. The Tulsa product wasn’t fully convinced he was going to the Cowboys.

Moments later, he “received a call from ‘Coach Jones,'” which got a laugh from reporters. He said the feeling didn’t even hit him until later that night. Smith specifically recalled waking up in the middle of the night to his phone continuing to blow up and realizing that it wasn’t all a dream.

“It was definitely probably the best day of my life pound for pound. I can’t think of anything better,” the new Cowboys lineman said in his introductory press conference.