Draft Pick LB Damien Wilson: How He Fits the Cowboys

Fist bumps all around the Dallas Cowboys war room when they drafted Damien Wilson in the 4^th round of the 2015 NFL Draft. This is how he fits with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015…

Déjà vu all over again, right? The ILB from Minnesota keeps up the versatile-player trend the Cowboys have set, and continued, through every round of the draft. 1^st rounder Byron Jones can play cornerback and free safety, Randy Gregory can play defensive end and linebacker, Chaz Green can play both offensive tackle spots and someday maybe guard, and now Damien Wilson can play all three linebacker positions.

For even more déjà vu, look no further than last season’s 4^th rounder, Anthony Hitchens. The similarities are overwhelming as both players are considered high-character, team leaders, who can learn quickly, and call the defense.

Damien Wilson has long arms to separate from blockers and can play in traffic. Excellent in zone coverage and reads QBs well. But like Hitch, his best trait is his pursuit to the ball.

Projected as a 6^th rounder by both NFL.com and CBSsports.com, Wilson was a target of the Dallas Cowboys all along. Like Hitchens before him, the Cowboys valued him more than the media projected. If he can be anything like the player Hitch was last season, the Cowboys would be thrilled.

LB coach Matt Eberflus points out that Wilson “can play in space at WILL and MIKE”, his natural positions. But during his visits with the team, Wilson was told to be ready for all the spots at LB. Damien Wilson will join the battle for playing time in the Dallas Cowboys’ crowded LB corps, but where does he really fit with the Cowboys?

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As I’ve stated before, I don’t think Anthony Hitchens is the answer at SAM. I see Damien Wilson in much the same way. Both will be given opportunity to claim the last open linebacker spot, but both are better suited to play in space. When factoring in Wilson’s zone coverage ability, I feel strongly he will be a backup to the WILL and MIKE in 2015.

The SAM competition will be crowded with Jasper Brinkley (who I think is better suited to play SAM than MIKE), Kyle Wilber, and now possibly even Randy Gregory. If Damien Wilson and Anthony Hitchens can back-up the injury-prone duo of Sean Lee and Rolando McClain, the Cowboys could breathe a sigh of relief heading into the 2015.

In addition, developing him at SAM and WILL will cover the Cowboys for next season when Rolando McClain is a free agent. Having an open competition with Hitch in 2016, can only mean good things for the Cowboys down the road, not to mention, have reliable depth behind Sean Lee is always a good idea.

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Next: Byron Jones: How he fits the Cowboys in 2015

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