Cowboys hosting the draft's 'best kept secret' for a visit will excite fans
With the way social media works these days, it's almost impossible for a college player to fly under the radar. However, one NFL Draft prospect you may not be too familiar with is most definitely Giovanni Manu, a former star for the University of British Columbia in Canada.
A Tongan native, Manu turned a ton of heads at his recent Pro Day, including the Dallas Cowboys. According to insider Jordan Schultz, the Cowboys have liked what they've seen out of the 6-7, 350-pounder this offseason - so much in fact, they brought him in for a recent Top 30 visit.
Here’s a fun one: The best kept secret in the NFL Draft is Tongan OT Giovanni Manu, who checks in at a freakish 6.073, 352lbs. Manu ran 4.96 at his Pro Day, which featured half the league in attendance. He also verted 33.5 inches.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 5, 2024
Manu just concluded his first 30 visit, with… pic.twitter.com/cnVzwD35F5
Could OT Giovanni Manu end up getting drafted by the Dallas Cowboys?
Manu indeed put on a show at his Pro Day, running a 4.96 40-yard dash and posting a 33.5-inch vertical leap. For a man to post those kinds of numbers at 6-7, 350 pounds is absolutely out of this world. No wonder Jerry Jones and others have interest in this kid.
It's not often that you see a Canadian college football player make this kind of noise with the NFL Draft less than three weeks away, but Manu is drawing a lot of attention right now. He'd make plenty of sense for the Cowboys and head man Mike McCarthy too.
This team is in need of a new offensive tackle after Tyron Smith left town. Smith was debating potentially coming back to Dallas for a 14th season with the Cowboys, but he opted to ink with the New York Jets as well. Yup, he'll go from protecting Dak Prescott to making sure Aaron Rodgers stays on his feet once Week 1 rolls around.
Manu is not expected to be a Day 1 pick, but he's the kind of project who could prove to be a mid-round or late-round steal. It's up in the air if the Cowboys will end up taking a shot on the massive OT, but the tools are certainly there for him to make noise at the next level. With the right kind of coaching, he could end up blossoming into a starting tackle in this league. Come late April, we'll find out if he ends up donning a Cowboys jersey or if he suits up for someone else this fall.
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