Cowboys' 2023 first round selection listed as make-or-break candidate for 2025 season

It won't be just one player that is setting out to prove something for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 season.

This past season was one that started with so much hope; however, things quickly fizzled out into a nightmare scenario.

So, the 2025 season could be a statement year for many players on the roster. Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman has one former first round pick on his mind when it comes to a potential make-or-break season.

Wasserman feels this could be the final chance for Mazi Smith to live up to the expectations of a first round selection.

"Dallas’ run defense was a sieve last season, posting the second-worst PFF run-defense grade in the NFL. One reason for that has been the struggles of former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who has earned a lowly 30.0 PFF run-defense grade across his first two NFL seasons, which is the ninth-worst mark among defensive tackles who have played at least 200 run defense snaps in that span. Perhaps new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus can unlock something we have yet to see from Smith. If Smith can’t figure things out this season, though, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him playing elsewhere in 2026," writes Wasserman.

Those comments on Smith are what everyone around the team is probably thinking. After a tough start to his second year in the league, Smith showed flashes of hope as the season progressed. However, the franchise cannot continue to wait on a later blooming talent. This could be the year that sums up Smith's time in Dallas.