Dallas Cowboys Draft: 10 Defensive Tackles and their Potential Fit

Daniel Wise, Kansas

What’s Good?: Pad height, Bend

What Ain’t Good?: Balance, Hand Usage, Pass rushing

Kansas doesn’t have the prestige of other defensive schools but they seem to consistently produce decent to All-Pro level talent, so for that reason I had to add Wise to this list. Even without this really strange reason, Wise has brings some likable traits to the pro game.

In comparison to some other defensive tackles in this class, he possesses consistently good pad height. Wise is not very athletic so his use of leverage is important to break through holes. There’s no way an athlete with his athleticism finishes with 43 tackles for loss in his 4 years of college football.

He possesses really good bend for his size but it can be negated by his poor balance and body control. This is especially obvious in his pass rushing game where he’ll get to the outside and almost reach the quarterback only to fall to the ground because he lost his footing. It can be infuriating to watch but that’s also why you don’t play an average 281 pound athlete at the 5 technique spot.

He has the position flexibility the Cowboys love but he wasn’t very effective as an edge rusher so the Cowboys may not look into his services at that particular position. However, he would provide a big presence at an interior defensive tackle position where he can use his body, leverage, and motor to get past interior offensive linemen.

Wise has average arm length at 33″ and with his lack of arm usage he can just be seen as a big guy on the field. The Cowboys could look to use his size and motor to play the 3 technique spot. He does need some development, probably more than a year, but he has some physical tools to become successful at the next level. He might have to be used sparingly to maximize his efficiency though…