FRISCO, TEXAS — Heading into the NFL Draft, it was clear that the Dallas Cowboys needed to address a wealth of needs on both sides of the ball.
Even if the left tackle position was mentioned on the first day, there could have been immediate discussion of naming a center, linebacker, defensive tackle or running back on the second day. And while he filled two of those needs, the Cowboys could fill the second by acquiring a versatile, high-upside player in Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. He continued to perform well in the round.
Will McCray, the Cowboys' vice president of player personnel, has frequently preached about his desire to find players who can do “two things instead of one,” and Friday night's picks were, respectively, Dallas It was similar to a key belief in scouting that not only led to the draft, but also ended. The flow of the past 10 years.
Even though all but running back and linebacker, two positions in which the Cowboys invested significant resources in the pre-draft process, were still available with the 56th pick, McCray I looked at what had been very effective for me. No player has ever had the versatility of Nyland.
At 6-foot-3 and 267 pounds, Kneeland jumps off the edge with a bigger frame than most defensive ends, but it's his world class ability to get off the ball and fly around as if he were 20 pounds lighter. is the athletic ability of However, in the case of a frame, he may also move inside to cover the gap running lane.
All things considered, it's a typical selection of Will McCray, Jerry Jones, Mike Zimmer, everyone in there.
Had they advanced to the third round without addressing the red light flashing needs, there may have been more urgency to make a safe selection, and the center position would have become increasingly important in addressing the inside offensive line. It seems.
Despite having experienced and smart centers on the board like Georgia's Cedric Van Plan Granger and Penn State's Hunter Noorzad, both of whom the Cowboys have expressed interest in, the war room is Kansas State. I decided to submit my card to Cooper Beebe at the university. He has played most of his career as a guard.
However, research done on Beebe shows that he has practice experience playing center since his time with the Wildcats. Kansas State officials told DallasCowboys.com after the selection that Beebe is “very” intelligent enough to play center and played a ton of minutes at each of the five offensive line positions during his time at Little. He said he was practicing. apple.
“His position is flexible,” Mike McCarthy said of what sets Beebe apart. “If you look at today's 17 games and look at our history, we can't have enough guys to play both positions, let alone linemen.”
The problem with the center has been resolved. It's all thanks to the work of a scouting department led by McCray that not only prioritizes diversity at the position, but relentlessly pursues it.
That philosophy continued when they selected Notre Dame linebacker Marist Liufau with the 87th pick.
The former high school safety thought he would cross the Pacific from Honolulu to become a secondary member of the Fighting Irish, but instead used his lateral movement and physical growth potential to play in coverage. He showed his full potential as a linebacker from an early stage.
Not only did he do that, but he became an elite situational player from the second level on passing downs, serving as South Bend head coach Marcus Freeman's ace.
McCray said what stands out about Liufau is his “versatility.” “In this day and age, Coach McCarthy will talk about players doing two things: Defensively, like we used him at Notre Dame…the amount and amount of things he can do at a high level. It was fascinating.”
Each of those characteristics was explored by McCray and his staff. And while it may be achievable on paper to take Liu Fau in the third round, a player most draft analysts would feel comfortable picking on day three, if his coverage ability allows him to make a three-level impact. If possible, it could prove to be very beneficial. With his sneaky expertise of running across the middle of the field from the back end and attacking the backfield.
Overall, the Cowboys hit the ground running in terms of finding players who can contribute in multiple areas on Day 2, when they could have easily dabbled outside of personality and addressed flashing needs. Maintained. Only time will tell whether that strategy will work in the long run. Dallas will likely watch 74 picks pass before making a selection, as the running back and defensive tackle needs become even more important heading into Day 3, but the strategy will prove out. Even in an offseason where they faced criticism, they remained true to their form.
