In the third and final part of this series, I originally wanted to talk linebackers but the Dallas Cowboys need to take a look at pass rushers. If the team has already decided they are going to go corner in the first round, pass rushers have to be as high of a priority as safety in the draft.
Sadly, I somehow believe that with the team bringing in two safeties through free agency, they are once again going to pass on the spot. Both Richie Grant and Trevor Moehrig would be great to draft with the 44th overall selection but I’m not sure either of those guys are available in a weak safety draft.
The weaker the position the better chance a team jumps early for one before the cupboard is left bare. I do think that this year’s defensive end class is weaker than usual but there are some intriguing names that could be a perfect fit in Dallas.
With no clear-cut favorite, the pass-rushing rankings vastly differ and I offer my two cents.
Dallas Cowboys defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are the presumed starters but the team is very thin after that. Dorance Armstrong has been in the rotation but has to put it all together or this could be his final year in Dallas.
Last year’s draft selection Bradlee Anae brought higher expectations for a fifth-round pick but barely sniffed the field his rookie season. That is not a good look especially for a team that didn’t have answers defensively for most of the year.
The team did sign defensive end, Tarell Basham, to a two-year deal worth up to $6.5 million dollars but the former 2017 third-round draft pick is already on his third team entering his fifth year. Needless to say, the defensive end position could use an influx of talent.
Miami defensive end Gregory Rousseau has had quite an NFL draft journey. Rousseau entered the 2021 NFL draft as a possible top ten player but underwhelmed during the entire draft process.
Rousseau led the all-hype train during the 2019 season which vaulted him into top prospect consideration but opted out this past season due to the pandemic. The 2019 tape is the only thing to go off of and it was underwhelming to say the least.
Rousseau does have great size standing six-foot-six and a half and weighed in at 266 pounds with an 83-inch wingspan which are all great measurables. His 4.68 forty-yard dash was pedestrian and was likely the final straw that brought the Rousseau house down.
Instead of seeing a player in the mold of former first overall picks like Mario Williams and Jadeveon Clowney, scouts and front office personnel saw what is likely a third-round player.
Rousseau is still very raw and there will likely be an NFL defensive line coach that says he can get the most out of him which could lead to a team taking Rousseau earlier and it would be a huge mistake in my opinion.
Rousseau the player just needs more reps and could be a late riser in the NFL. His 2019 campaign, which started all of this hype, ended with 15.5 sacks which were only second to 2020 first-round pick Chase Young.
Great production but I am still concerned because Rousseau started that season as a rotational piece on the defensive line. Rousseau wasn’t even a full-time starter on his college team yet could be a first-round pick?
I am trying hard to not make this sound like a witch hunt by putting out facts but it is hard to sway away from reality. I cannot envision a team convincing themselves to draft him in the first round.
If he falls out of the first two rounds and the Dallas Cowboys take him, he would be a project but one that does have an NFL future. Rousseau the player is someone who I think could develop in time to have a nice career but he isn’t the edge monster the media is portraying him to be.
A lot of his sacks came from playing the nose tackle or zero technique at Miami. Rousseau on the edge has a ways to go but the thing that stands out is he is not a quick-twitch player. He does however look very comfortable rushing the passer from the inside which suggests to me like his outside game can be fixed with coaching and confidence.
Rousseau should have stayed in school and developed a bit more. If the people around him used the hype to convince him to declare for the draft it could be a fatal mistake in terms of career advice.
I have this player fifth overall in the defensive end category but he has a third-round grade overall.
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum lies a late riser that goes by the name of Jayson Oweh from Penn State University.
On paper, Oweh looked to be a middle-of-the-pack defensive end but his Pro Day showed a player that has elite athletic tools. The six-foot-five 257-pound defensive end ran an eye-popping 4.36 forty-yard dash.
That kind of size and speed combinations are exactly what I look for when taking chances in the draft although it cannot be the single factor when selecting players. I learned this lesson long ago back in 1995 from a division rival.
When I was younger, I was all over the Mike Mamula hype train as my interest in the NFL draft was on the brink of obsession. Like Oweh, Mamula wowed scouts which eventually led to him being selected with the seventh overall selection.
Philadelphia traded their first-round pick, 12th overall, and two second-round picks to Tampa Bay for the right to take Mamula seventh overall. Tampa selected Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks with those picks while Mamula is now a cautionary tale.
I have Oweh graded as a top day two selection but mainly has to do with his Pro Day numbers. His film graded out to me as a third-round guy.
Oweh reminds me of Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter who is probably the most under the radar superstar in the entire NFL. Like Oweh, Hunter didn’t have a productive final season in college. Hunter ended his final collegiate season with 1.5 sacks while Oweh didn’t have any this past season.
Oweh the player is going to take some time to develop but he could be a role player in year one if a team can get him to refine some of his pass rush moves. There are times when Oweh puts it all together and flashes brilliance. There are also times where he gets lost in the shuffle.
Georgia Pass rusher Azeez Ojulari is the only 3-4 pass rusher on my list. The other guys on this list are all more traditional 4-3 defensive ends but that shouldn’t take Ojulari off of. Standing at six-foot-two and weighing in around the 250-pound mark, Ojulari is considered a tweener.
That is not a concern for me as he is a cross between Vegas end Yannick Ngakoue and Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. For those of you who don’t know, Lawrence and Ngakoue are both under six-foot-three and both are at the 250-pound range depending on where you reference their weights.
Ojulari has the quick first step and burst much like Yannick Ngakoue but also can set the edge and anchor down for the run like Demarcus Lawrence.
Like Lawrence, Ojulari’s weapon of choice when rushing the passer is the cross chop. It is an effective move where the defender tries to use the momentum of the blocker against himself. The 9.5 sacks and 37 pressures this past season suggest Ojulari has a knack for this move.
Ojulari is going to make a team extremely happy and could surprise a few people with where he gets selected in this year’s draft. He could go as high as 11th overall to the New York Giants or as far as the top of the second round.
It would surprise me if he did get to the second round as he is likely the safest defensive end prospect in this year’s weak class of pass rushers. Ojulari will be able to contribute right away for a team but the only question is will it be at defensive end or 3-4 outside linebacker.
Ojulari in Dallas would make me feel a lot better about the position as a whole. He could help Randy Gregory attacking the blindside but could also fill in for Lawrence because of his good run support skills.
Ojulari in the Leo position is also intriguing. If the Dallas Cowboys were to trade back and acquire extra picks or players, Ojulari past the 15th selection is a win in my book.
Former UCLA and Miami Hurricanes pass rusher Jaelan Phillips is exactly who you think of if you were to draw the perfect 4-3 defensive end prototype. He is six-foot-five and a half making him freakishly tall but not so much that he is a leverage liability.
He weighs 260-pounds which is still big enough to hold up against the run but light enough to still turn the edge and attack the quarterback. The 4.56 forty-yard dash he ran is very impressive for a man of his size.
Phillips on film is very aware of the run but still needs to get a bit stronger. Phillips can rush the passer and has a very good closing burst when he gets around his blocker in pursuit of the quarterback.
So why isn’t Jaelan Phillips in consideration with the tenth overall selection? The only answer that matters is his medicals.
Jaelan Phillips has struggled with concussions and even retired from the sport when he played at UCLA. Obviously, he unretired and had a great season for the U but a player with a history of concussions is my line. A player with three concussions who has previously retired from the game is a risky move no matter where you select him.
Players in the NFL are bigger, faster, stronger, and hit harder making any head injuries a very real concern not only for the value of the draft pick but for the young man himself.
I have Phillips as the second-best defensive end prospect in the entire draft because he has earned it but I would take him off of my board entirely. Concussions are not only scary to the player when it happens but they could derail the team’s plan at any moment.
If drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and the concussions seem to stop, he would have a very good chance of becoming the team’s starting defensive end opposite of Demarcus Lawrence. At the very least he would be a heavily relied on part of the defensive end rotation.
Like Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley before him in this series, Phillips should have a say at the top spot and maybe I should have him as the best end because he probably is, I just cannot place a player first on my list yet declare him close to un-draftable because of medical concerns.
I believe most Dallas Cowboys fans are off of the Kwity Paye train simply because they have not yet recovered from this team drafting a previous Wolverine in the first round. That is a mistake I initially made when talking about Paye.
Kwity Paye is a totally different player than the afore referenced Taco Charlton but before we get into the NFL stuff, it is hard not to fall in love with how Kwity Paye came to our great country. Paye’s family was lucky enough to survive a civil war but what isn’t lucky is his hard work and determination.
A person’s childhood often shapes that individual into what he could become and if that is true with Paye, the NFL team that drafts him is getting a gritty survivor who does everything and anything he can do to fit in.
That is a huge reason why I have Kwity Paye as my number one defensive end prospect. Paye is an explosive ball of power who gives relentless pursuit each and every minute of the game. His pass-rush arsenal is limited to the bull rush but I would imagine he will develop more moves with his new team.
Paye on film leaves things to be desired as his awareness of the game has to improve. He has more of a short choppy rush and will have to learn to take bigger strides when turning the corner. Scouts could fall in love with his motor and his willingness to do everything that is asked of him but my number one defensive end could have a future on the inside.
Paye could help a few teams generate a pass rush from up the middle as his tenacity, motor, and bull rush would probably be a problem for a large portion of guards already in the NFL. His natural stance almost always allows him to win the leverage battle.
Paye with the Dallas Cowboys would be a rotational player on the edge but could be an inside rusher on obvious passing downs. Standing at six-foot-two and a half and weighing 260-pounds, Paye has a different body mold when compared to the other defensive ends.
He has more of a compact build rather than the typical long-limbed striders we are accustomed to seeing. His natural instincts need attention and he is slow when reading screens and misdirection but Paye comes across to me as the type of hard-working individual that will work on his craft as long as it takes in order to achieve his goal.
If Paye perfects a couple of more pass rush moves and learns how to properly turn the edge en route to the quarterback, watch out NFL.