Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are feeling frisky within the 2021 NFL Draft. After buying and selling with the Philadelphia Eagles and deciding on famous person Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons — a participant with plain bodily traits however query marks off the sphere — they doubled down on their willingness to roll the cube by grabbing mercurial cornerback Kelvin Joseph with the No. 44 choose. 

The staff tried to commerce up within the second spherical with the New York Jets however could not strike a deal, and finally noticed a prime goal in TCU security Trevon Moehrig go off the board when the Las Vegas Raiders traded as much as steal him away. 

Nonetheless having a number of impression choices after they finally went on the clock, they gave the nod to the Kentucky ballhawk who is thought for his stage of aggression and talent to take the ball away. What the Cowboys are up towards is his character, however they’re banking on his time to return in Dallas ending higher than it did when he had run-ins together with his collegiate coaches. Joseph leaves Kentucky after transferring from LSU resulting from these points (alleged confrontations with coaches), however his expertise is akin to touted first-round abilities like Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain, II — two gamers the Cowboys have been eyeing with the No. 10 choice.

Talent-wise, there’s nothing to be involved about in terms of Joseph. 

If the 20-year-old can bottle his fiery demeanor and unleash it between the white strains solely, he may very well be a damaging drive reverse former second-round choose Trevon Diggs and in entrance of a hard-hitting security in Donovan Wilson (a ballhawk himself). Joseph led the Wildcats with 4 interceptions in 2020, and that is the form of takeaway moxy that drove the Cowboys to miss all else. Additionally just like Parsons, he requires refinement stemming from lack of general expertise — solely 12 collegiate begins mixed between LSU and Kentucky — placing loads of strain on Dan Quinn and secondary coach Joe Whitt, Jr. to get him the place he must be.

This can be a growth or bust choose, and there’ll doubtless be no in-between. Dallas is banking on the previous, and Joseph has greater than sufficient bodily prowess to make good on their funding.

Seventy fifth-overall: Osa Odighizuwa, DL – UCLA

And now a take a look at the Cowboys third-round picks, of which they’d three. 

That is the place the curler coaster trip careened right into a course the staff clearly ordained, however one which leaves any goal analyst scratching their head. What was good about it was the choice to proceed their run on defensive gamers, having now drafted 5 consecutive defensive gamers for the primary time in practically 40 years — the final incidence having been in 1982. The place they arguably went mistaken is in who they gave to name to, a criticism that leans extra closely on the ultimate two picks of Day 2 than the primary. 

With the Seventy fifth-overall choose, they grabbed defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, the primary participant to be chosen out of UCLA by the Cowboys since Corridor of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman. This can be a choose with a ton of promise, and a prospect I named as a probable seize heading into Day 2. That mentioned, Odighizuwa has the flexibility to return in and make an impression on the defensive inside — a place of want — and likewise has the added capacity to flex between being an undersized 1-tech and the 3- and 5-tech. 

Odighizuwa is a First-Workforce All-Pac 12 expertise that yields good worth at Seventy fifth-overall, and his capacity to penetrate the opposing backfield from the within will please the Cowboys; the 6-foot-2, 282 pound rookie proudly owning an expansive 84″ wingspan (92nd-percentile) and measurables that put him within the 84th- or increased percentile in arm size and hand dimension. There’s quite a bit to love about Odighizuwa, making it forgivable the Cowboys waved off impression DB expertise to seize him.

84th-overall: Chauncey Golston, EDGE – Iowa

Subsequent got here edge rusher Chauncey Golston with the 84th-overall choose obtained by way of commerce with the Eagles on Day 1, and that is the place issues get a bit extra curious, however the Cowboys are hopeful Gholson shines beneath Quinn and defensive position coach Aden Durde. It is not tough to establish why Quinn and the Cowboys took a shot on the previous Hawkeye, albeit what seems like a little bit of a attain for a expertise that might’ve doubtless been had on Day 3. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-4, 269 pound former Hawkeye is heading to Dallas with a wingspan that actually rivals that of Odighizuwa — additionally measuring in at roughly 84 inches — together with arm size that does the identical when evaluating the 2 (35 inches). His 36 inch vertical additionally helps when it comes time to interrupt the passing lanes, which explains why he had 5 go break ups in 2019.

A promising remaining 12 months at Iowa is what put him on the Cowboys radar, delivering 5.5 sacks and touchdown his third profession interception (once more, wingspan and vertical), and whereas he may by no means come near being what J.J. Watt is as an general participant; he does excel at one factor Watt has made an enormous a part of his profession: swatting passes on the line of scrimmage. 

He’ll be finest used as a matchup to bully tight ends and when attempting to set the sting to cap the opposing run assault, however search for him to be rotational and battle gamers like Tarell Basham and Bradlee Anae for taking part in time behind Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence. The Cowboys may’ve been higher served going with a participant like Patrick Jones, II or Ronnie Perkins right here — a justifiable argument — however Golston is not practically the curious choice as what occurred with the staff’s remaining choose of Day 2.

99th-overall: Nahshon Wright, CB – Oregon State

Nonetheless within the playing temper, the Cowboys bucked standard thought by passing on each Elijah Molden and Ifeatu Melifonwu with the 99th-overall choose, then watching them go off of the board with the A centesimal- and One hundred and first-overall picks, respectively. It is Wright who obtained the nod as a substitute, a prolonged cornerback prospect some had graded as excessive because the fourth spherical, whereas others had graded exterior of the highest 300. Very similar to the opposite cornerback chosen on Day 2 by the Cowboys, however for a a lot completely different motive, that is going to be a growth or bust choose by Dallas. The explanation for the wild variation is Wright is without doubt one of the extra understudied prospects on this 12 months’s defensive again class, however the Cowboys felt they did not wish to threat him to Day 3 and — extra doubtless — undrafted free company.

Meaning you might justifiably label this choose a extreme attain, even when it does pan out for Dallas. All of this mentioned, Wright is not with out issues to smile about. He is rangy, bodily and has a basis of a possible ballhawk. He leaves Oregon State with 5 interceptions in solely 16 video games, a promising pattern dimension, however admittedly one which additionally factors out his general lack of expertise; and that is one more reason his identify wasn’t talked about in draft circles. 

He is additionally not the speediest within the group, however will not need to be if utilized to his talent set. For man protection, they’ve Diggs and Joseph, ideally, with having worth as a zone cowl who should bulk up if he is to tackle a few of the beefier NFL halfbacks. Wright’s capacity to excessive level the ball like a receiver and rapidly “sit” on the route break to shrink area for opposing wideouts make him very best for when the Cowboys change to zone as a substitute of man protection (however he’ll want nice complementary play from the safeties to ensure anybody who double strikes or go routes him is contained. 

His instincts may translate properly together with his Richard Sherman-esque body, albeit an inch taller than the long run Corridor of Famer and some kilos lighter, making him an experiment the Cowboys are comfortable to provide a go; though the query may perpetually be may and may it have occurred a lot later. Wright’s profession will now perpetually be in comparison with an equally prolonged however extra spectacular Melifonwu, very similar to Taco Charlton’s is to that of T.J. Watt. Meaning there is a ton of strain on him to contribute in some vogue relatively instantly, be it honest or not a lot.

Add one other little bit of it by his choose being the compensatory gained by the lack of Byron Jones.