Dallas Cowboys Complete Mock Draft (Adithya Final)

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 17: Cole Holcomb #36 of the North Carolina Tar Heels forces a fumble by Connell Young #5 of the Western Carolina Catamounts during the second half of their game at Kenan Stadium on November 17, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Pick No. 165:

Cole Holcomb, Linebacker, North Carolina

There isn’t too much to discuss here. After the Cowboys lost Damien Wilson to the Chiefs a hole at linebacker opened up. Nowadays, teams don’t play as much from their base defenses opting for sub packages to defend pass happy offenses. The Cowboys essentially filled a major spot at linebacker with Leighton Vander Esch last year so the Cowboys only need a linebacker for depth purposes.

Holcomb was a national visit for the Cowboys after an impressive pro day where he showcased his athleticism. His athleticism showed up on his tape along with a lot of not so good stuff. He misses reads, he can be over aggressive, and he isn’t a great run stopper, but at this point in the draft, teams are looking for glorified special teams players and Holcomb is exactly that. He also has the ability to lay the boom!

A depth chart consisting of Jaylon Smith, Leighton Vander Esch, Joe Thomas, Christian Covington, Sean Lee, and Justin March-Lillard could benefit from the athleticism of Holcomb much like it did with Vander Esch last year. (Vander Esch was also supposed and expected to do more than just be an athletic guy)

Also at this point in the draft, Holcomb presented the best value of anyone. There wasn’t a good enough edge defender at this point and almost all the corners would’ve been a reach to select. At the very least Holcomb will provide depth and be a consistent contributor on special teams. Hopefully his athleticism and the opportunity to graduate from the Sean Lee school of linebacking will allow him to do more than just be a special teams contributor.

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