Dallas Cowboys: Trysten Hill touted as dark-horse DROY candidate

Despite not possessing a first-round selection, the Dallas Cowboys might have still landed themselves the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Dallas Cowboys‘ draft impact figured to be hindered significantly this year due to the fact America’s Team didn’t possess a first-round selection. That pick, which ended up being the 27th overall selection, was traded to the Oakland Raiders last season in exchange for Pro Bowl wide receiver Amari Cooper.

After Cooper turned the Cowboys’ season around in 2018, leading the team to an NFC East crown, Dallas doesn’t regret the trade. But it did force the franchise to sit through the first day of the 2019 NFL Draft without a selection.

The Cowboys didn’t pick up their first rookie until the second round. And with the 58th overall pick, Dallas drafted UCF defensive tackle Trysten Hill. The 6-foot-3, 308-pound interior defender figures to be the perfect fit at the under tackle position in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s defensive scheme.

Hill is an interior distributor whose burst and agility are rare for a man of his size. His relentless energy and high-motor are intangibles coveted by Marinelli. And the 21-year old figures to become the centerpiece of the Cowboys’ defense quickly.

So quick, in fact, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein named Hill as a possible dark-horse to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2019. Here’s what the draft analyst wrote recently on the league’s official website about the Cowboys’ rookie defensive tackle …

"“Strong, explosive and quick, Hill possesses key penetration ingredients and happens to be playing for Rod Marinelli, a chef who knows how to whip those ingredients into disruptive dishes. Hill ended up in the doghouse in his final season at UCF, but the second-round pick’s talent leaped off the tape, and his outstanding performance at the NFL Scouting Combine provides reason to believe that he may belong in this group.”"

Hill wowed onlookers at the NFL Scouting Combine as the husky defender recorded an impressive 5.04 seconds in the forty-yard dash and a 35-inch vertical leap. His strength was more than adequate with his 28 reps at 225-pounds.

But questions about Hill’s maturity and coachability cropped up when a regime change at the beginning of his junior season at UCF led the young defender to start just once last season. Despite the lack of opportunities, Trysten still posted career-highs in tackles (36), tackles for loss (10.5), and sacks (3.0).

The Cowboys clearly believe Hill is coachable. If not, they had plenty of other options in the second round including numerous highly-rated safeties. But Marinelli spent a lot of time with Hill prior to the draft, including on his 21st birthday. And the 70-year-old defensive guru clearly has a lot of faith in this young man.

Rod Marinelli believes Trysten Hill was one of only three true under tackles in this year’s NFL Draft. And as the crown jewel of his defensive line, Hill figures to get plenty of opportunities to shine his rookie season. If Marinelli is correct and can get the young man to buy-in to his system, the Cowboys might have just landed themselves a defensive monster.