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Dallas Cowboys draft: First round nose tackle? No thanks!

By Steven Mullenax

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive lineman Vita Vea #50 of the Washington Huskies defends against the Portland State Vikings on September 17, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Defensive lineman Vita Vea #50 of the Washington Huskies defends against the Portland State Vikings on September 17, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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Although many draft experts believe the Dallas Cowboys could draft a nose tackle with their first round pick, the team simply has no interest in doing so.

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys struggled to stop the run at times. Especially when they were missing their All-Pro linebacker, Sean Lee, who missed a total of five games in 2017. But many also pointed to the fact Dallas lack a true one-technique defense tackle, as known as a nose tackle.

The Cowboys signed free agent defensive tackle Stephen Paea in part to play that role, along with defensive lineman David Irving. But Irving played only eight games in 2017 due to a PED suspension and a late season concussion. And Paea up and retired after just four regular season games in Dallas.

This forced the Cowboys to move second-year defender Maliek Collins from the under tackle role to the nose, while also hosting a revolving door of defensive tackles all season trying to find the right fit. For the most part, Dallas never did. Thus, many see this position as being one of the Cowboys’ biggest team needs.

But according to the Cowboys’ brass, they have zero interest in using their first round pick on a position they don’t deem all that important within defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s Tampa 2 scheme.

"“If you’re talking about a pure nose, I don’t see that changing for us,” executive vice president Stephen Jones told the Star-Telegram. “I think we just feel like in Rod’s system that we can get the job done without a big, first-round nose, if that’s all he really is. Now, some of these guys might be more than a nose than you think. They could have some under tackle to them and you’re certainly looking at them if that’s the case. Obviously that under tackle position is a big one for us.”"

This is no breaking news for the Cowboys, who have held this stance for a long time. They simply believe they are able to find adequate one-technique defenders via free agency or in the later rounds on the draft.

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This would seemingly eliminate some of the bigger names who have been mocked to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round like Washington’s Vita Vea, Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne and Virginia Tech’s Tim Settle.

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