Top 5 draft options for the Cowboys in the second round
By Connor Green
4. Carlos Basham Jr., Edge Rusher (Wake Forest)
The Dallas Cowboys defense was really bad in 2020. The team gave up the fifth-most points per game in the NFL with 29.6. It also struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and only managed to accrue a thoroughly unimpressive 31 team sacks, tied for the 13th-fewest in the league.
The teams’ leader in sacks, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, only had 6.5. While the organization has made a handful of underwhelming moves to try and address this need through free agency in this scenario they take another stab at it by selecting a dynamic edge rusher in Carlos Basham Jr.
That last name might sound familiar to fans of America’s Team as it is shared by one of the aforementioned underwhelming acquisitions the team has made this offseason in edge rusher Tarrell Basham. The two are actually related (cousins) and this move would reunite the two to play under Dan Quinn’s defense in Dallas, a nice bonus to the pick.
The younger Basham burst onto the college football scene during his Junior year at Wake Forest. The 23-year old managed to rack up an impressive 10.0 sacks, the third-most in the ACC, and 18 tackles for a loss, the second-most in the ACC, that year and cemented his name as a potential NFL prospect.
Last season the young defender posted 5.0 sacks and an ACC-best four forced fumbles while playing six games. The Wake Forest product would also be a good fit for the 4-3 defense that the teams’ new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is likely to run next year.
The Dallas Cowboys address one of their deficiencies with this pick while also hoping to add a true playmaker to a unit that is in dire need of one. The fact that Basham Jr. is a good scheme fit and he would be reunited with his cousin in Dallas only adds to the reasons to be excited about this potential pick.