By Mark Halpern
So another draft has come and gone. We saw a ton of teams make trades all over the place. However, for us Dallas fans looking for the Cowboys to move up and get one of the two linemen they originally wanted, that didn’t happen. Even though Jerry had said they wanted to move up, the cost was too high for them to go through with it. Let us take a look at the newly drafted Cowboys.
The reason why Dallas let two of their line go in free agency was due to holding penalties and they weren’t fitting the scheme. In the first round, Dallas drafted Tyler smith out of Tulsa. He has a big frame and can move well on the line. He will prob play and learn from Tyron Smith as he will probably be his replacement. The thing that concerns me is his Hands to the Face penalties and holding penalties. Tyler will have Smith and Zack Martin to learn from and hopefully take cues from them on how not to get penalized every down.
The Joneses knew they needed an edge rusher to try and replace Randy Gregory. Dallas selected Sam Williams from Ole Miss with their second-round pick. This was a great pick because Williams can play edge and interior line. He is fast and has good vision on the field. He also can drop back into cover for underneath passes as he is that quick. He will join Demarcus Lawrence and Dorance Armstrong as the other edge rushers.
Before the season ended, Dallas had a great wide receiver trio in Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb. At the end of the season, Gallup tore his ACL, Dallas then traded Cooper to the Browns for a 5th and 6th pick, and Cedrick Wilson, the fourth receiver, went to the Dolphins. Dallas needed to get a receiver, and they got a good one in the third round. Jalen Tolbert, who played at Alabama and had a great year fell into their lap just like Lamb did two years ago. Tolbert is a tall and aggressive receiver who isn’t afraid of catching a ball in traffic. Tolbert is being compared to a former Dallas receiver Alvin Harper. Harper was known for his speed, and he never was afraid to catch a ball even if he knew he was going to get hit. Tolbert is the same type of player, and with Gallup still on the mend, Tolbert could find himself on the starting roster.
With Dalton Schultz the only Tight End on the roster, they needed to bring in another. In the fourth round, Dallas drafted Tight End Jake Fergusson from Wisconsin. Fergusson can block on the line as he did in college, but he is also a great route runner and has good hands. Dallas has a good upgrade with this draft pick.
The fifth-round pick is one of my favorites. Dallas was still looking for help on the offensive line, and they got a giant player in Matt Waletzko from North Dakota. He is a monster at 6 foot 8 and 315lbs. Right now, I see his only weakness is Kryptonite. His arm length and center of balance and size made the Joneses drool. He is a little raw but will be learning from the best.
Dallas’s secondary last year was lethal, and now it just got better. Dallas had been doing very well in filling in needs, and they got one of the final needs in the sixth round. Dallas selected DaRon Bland from Fresno state. Bland ran a 4.4 in the 40yrd dash at the combine and showed that he has good vision and hands. He will join the best cornerback in the league to learn from Treyvon Diggs.
In the fifth round, Dallas added Damone Clark, a linebacker out of LSU. Dallas liked his ability to cover tight ends and can rush the passer. He does have some trouble with players and quick feet getting out of his way, so that’s something he will work on in training camp.
Dallas found another piece of their defensive line in the fifth round. John Ridgeway out of Arkansas will join a newly formed Dallas defensive line. He is a significant and robust player at 6 foot 5 and 321lbs. He is a former wrestler and knows how to control a block and make a hole for the linebackers to get in after the Quarterback.
With their last pick, Dallas selected inside linebacker Devin Harper from Oklahoma. Dallas fixed their linebacker problem with Harper, and he will be working with the best linebacker in football, Micha Parsons. Harper has plenty of room for improvement, and with Vander Esch and Parsons, he will get the valuable help he needs to become better at his position.
Overall, I think the Cowboys did what they needed in this draft by filling in holes on offense and defense. Suppose I were to give them an overall grade, I give them a B+. This team still has a hole or two that needs filling, but there are still plenty of free agents that they can add.
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