NFL Draft 2021: Dallas Cowboys select OT Josh Ball No. 138 overall
Defense has been the focus of the 2021 NFL Draft for the Dallas Cowboys. Through the first two days of the event, the Cowboys only selected defensive players. And that philosophy is hard to argue against as Dallas allowed the fifth most points to be scored against them in 2020, allowing an average of 29.6 points per game.
Combine that defensive need with a decreasing salary cap, and the Cowboys are now about the business of drafting young prospects with affordable rookie contracts onto their roster to play key roles or for added depth.
So far, the Cowboys have added linebacker Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons, Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph, UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, Iowa defensive end Chauncey Golston, and Oregon State cornerback Nahshon Wright to their struggling defense over the first two days of the draft.
Owning six more draft selections on day three of the draft, the Cowboys kicked off round four by adding LSU linebacker Jabril Cox with pick No. 115. Cox was the sixth straight defender drafted by Dallas. Would that trend continue with their next pick?
With their second selection in the fourth round, the Cowboys drafted their first offensive player in the draft in Marshall offensive tackle Josh Ball with the 138th overall pick. According to Pro Football Focus, Ball allowed three sacks over the span of 724 career pass-blocking snaps.
At a massive 6-foot-7, 308-pounds, Ball possesses an impressive frame and the athletic traits of a player who should have been drafted much higher. But his background is an issue as he left Flordia State after two years following a suspension for what NFL.com calls dating violence, which eventually led him to Marshall.
According to an Orlando Sentinel story Josh Ball, while at Florida St., had "11 incidents during which Ball showed aggressive behavior, including physical harm" to the victim. There was also one incident involving a member of the Florida St. football staff.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) May 1, 2021
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The Dallas Cowboys have a recent history of success in the fourth round. Some current players on their roster selected at the top of day three include quarterback Dak Prescott, center Tyler Biadasz, running back Tony Pollard, and tight end Dalton Schultz. Now, the Cowboys have made linebacker Jabril Cox and offensive tackle Josh Ball their newest fourth-rounders.