What he brings: production and experience. The Cowboys acquired a linebacker who should fit what Mike Zimmer wants to do on defense. After the draft, Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones said he had selected several players for Zimmer, and Liufau was certainly one of them. At Notre Dame, he played all over the field, lining up with both inside and outside linebackers, as well as rushing quarterbacks off the edge. In the final game of his career, Liufau recorded a career-high 2.5 tackles and also recorded a half-sack in the win over Stanford. He was selected as a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.
Where he plays: That's up in the air at the moment as we wait to see exactly how Mike Zimmer will execute this plan. Traditionally, he has been more of a 4-on-3 coordinator with three linebackers, but that doesn't mean he won't tinker with the front and switch to a 3-on-4, especially if they have the personnel. Sometimes. And players like Micah Parsons allow for that kind of flexibility. So when it comes to Liufo, the Cowboys will likely start him at outside linebacker across from Damone Clark and next to Eric Kendricks. Liufo has pass-rushing ability, so he can also use the edge. He'll likely get a lot of work on special teams as well.
What they say: Here are some quotes from the weekend's draft after the Cowboys selected the Notre Dame linebacker.
