Dallas Cowboys Draft: 10 Edge Rushers for the Cowboys

D’Andre Walker, Georgia

What’s Good: Burst, Run Stopping, Flexibility

What Ain’t Good: Balance, Arm strength

Walker has some really good bend and good burst, which makes it really strange that he ends up on the ground as frequently as he does. Walker can get to the outside as easily as Polite and he’s able to change directions better. This is particularly useful when he sees a running back running right next to him.

When run blocking he’s able to use his bend and change of direction to get off some blocks and make the tackle at the line of scrimmage. However, that is when he does break out of the grasp of someone else.

A noticeable issue with Walker is his arm strength. For someone with 34 3/8″ arms according to NFL, he doesn’t get off of blocks very easily. In fact when he squares up against tackles, he doesn’t look strong enough to throw them off balance or break off their grasp on a consistent basis.

Throw in his lack of balance at times and he becomes useless as a pass rusher. Of course, calling Walker useless is a bit harsh especially considering he’s been very productive for Georgia but a player who’s on the ground is as useful as someone sitting in the stands in most situations.

However, he’s an effective speed rusher and showcases enough creativity between spins, speed, and bull rushing to increase his effectiveness. Having more refinement on his bull rushing and spinning would make him a way more effective rusher.

Where does he fit?:

Walker played at right defensive end, so if the Cowboys were pursuing someone who had previous experience playing at the position, Walker would be a plug and play type of player. Realistically, he’s coming off the bench but that is still good for the Cowboys as they are looking for reliable depth.

Walker would be extra helpful for run stopping purposes. Cowboys fans couldn’t believe how the Rams were just running all over the Cowboys and having defensive line depth that can help run stuff would make it harder for other teams to run that easily on the Cowboys.

I’m not saying one player, especially a rookie, is not going to change the outcome but as the Cowboys build this defensive line, having many players who are good at doing different things can help propel this team to the next level.