FRISCO, TEXAS — Eight Dallas Cowboys draft picks are at the very beginning of their NFL careers as they head to The Star this weekend to officially sign their rookie contracts and participate in rookie minicamp.
Coming in as a rookie brings a lot of excitement and high expectations. Especially with the Cowboys' current rookie class, immediate contributions from most of their draft picks will be needed.
in coach's corner, we reached out to each of the draft candidates' college position coaches to learn more about their development on and off the field in college, their fit in Dallas, how they matched up with their college years, and what they need to work on. I looked into it in detail. Before you even touch an NFL field.
Next up is Western Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland. We spoke with Western Michigan defensive line coach David Denham about these topics.
Q: When Marshawn arrived at West Michigan, what did he do to separate himself from a work ethic standpoint to earn his spot on the field?
A: What actually turned Marshawn off of himself was the fact that he saw the elder statesmen in the room doing this, and that he was in a facility at 6 a.m. in prefab instead of rehab. I was relaxing and stretching my body. And ready to actively depart. We had practice in the morning and he had class in the afternoon, so after class he came to the facility and said, “Can I watch this? Can I watch that? Hey. “What did you see?” I asked. Will you be handing out any tackle sets? I say, “Hey, I'm going to give you this homework assignment. I want you to look at all of Second and Medium. And I want you to tell me what you saw.'' He will come back and tell what he saw. That's when it really started. After all, it was seen in the fall. In the spring, he was out on the field by himself, with all his playbooks and walkthroughs to himself. At that time, you felt that there was a growing distance between him and some of the other people.he saw [Braden] Once Fisk did that, they naturally gravitated toward each other, and that's where we started to see a breakup.
Q: In its recruiting efforts in 2018 and 2019, it seems like Western Michigan University was looking for the type of player with high athletic ability and upside. What particularly intrigued you about Marshawn? Was it his basketball background? What is the background behind the track? How do you think that applies to the soccer field?
A: It was definitely both. When you have an athlete of his talent and size, obviously when he entered the recruiting process as a high school senior, he didn't weigh 275 pounds by any stretch of the imagination. He was a very athletic basketball player, but when that changed and you saw it on the field, because he played multiple positions, you thought, “Hey, that athlete is going to be something.” thought. We thought he was going to be an extraordinarily athletic rushing end, and when we saw the pass rush mechanics and how everything translated, it was like basketball where he worked on the jab. A swipe you think you've seen, or he'll switch from speed to power and hit a jab, then stab with his long arms. I feel like everything was translated with that.
Q: How has he utilized his power more and more throughout his time at Western Michigan University to be able to not only attack the backfield in the run game but also be a pass rusher?
A: He loves to be physical in the run game. I've coached a lot of them and this young guy is open to spilling stuff and boxing. He takes pride in getting his hands on tackles and solidly replacing opponents' heels if they block. If you talk to the d-end, they'll want to go home and get the bag. we know that. But I told them, at the end of the day, we need to earn the right to pass the rush. He's gradually bought into that comment, seeing how explosive he is, seeing him come out of his hips and shock offensive linemen and get violent at the point of attack. I think. I think that has a direct correlation to his athleticism. Obviously, when you put on his pass rush, it feels like he's playing basketball again with some of his mechanics and footwork. Again, it goes back to some of the things he did in high school.
Q: From a run game standpoint, how much did you rely on him in your run game plan?
A: I'll tell you, some teams ran away from him. He would come off the field and be frustrated and we tried to do something defensively with movement and gains. We've only had him on the field once and put him back on the perimeter, but whatever it was, teams wouldn't want to run on him. When they did that, whether it was a 6-technique at tight end or a 5-technique at offensive tackle, he did a great job physically at the point of attack. He did his eye training really well. That's one thing people don't appreciate. Obviously, I love being a defensive line coach. I thought his eyes were very, very good. There was a play in Iowa this year that I remember vividly. They come back and the tackle blocks and he gets caught and they bring the guy back and beat him up but he gets his ear pierced and he doesn't go down. That didn't happen for the rest of the game. He said it was his own responsibility. He fixed it right away and nothing like that happened again.
Q: What did he see as his biggest improvement last year, his last season with you guys?
A: Just talking to him at this point last season, I know he loves speed and power. I think he did a really good job setting up his inside thrust. That meant I really wanted to focus on making sure he was stepping on the right foot when we're talking about his rod and when we're talking about his stab hand where it all really works together. It was something. I think he spent hours perfecting that move and I think he did a really good job. The other thing he wanted to do better was he was always someone who was actively studying film, and he was like, “OK Coach D, I know defense. I know what the linebackers are going to do.'' He wanted to take it to the next level and I think he did a better job of that last year and that helped. think.
Q: What do you think he's still working on to make the leap to the NFL?
A: Like any defensive line coach, it's all about the details. Obviously, your eye training will always improve when looking at things, and that comes from playing games. I also think he has all the rushing ability in the world and is just trying not to get frustrated when his first move doesn't work out. Obviously, he knows that he can always go back to his second move and what to counter it.He always just has a plan of attack when he sees offensive tackles. [on film]. Even at the Senior Bowl, once he figured out who the offensive tackles were going to be, he texted me and said, “Coach, I want a PFF cut-up of every tackle from the Senior Bowl, so I'm going to put that in there.'' I want to see it.'' So I made him a cut-up of every tackle on the list and he looked at it. Once he jumps into the NFL and understands how fast-paced and how physical it is, all he has to do is be patient, work hard and know that his moves will pay off.
