NFL Draft: Discussing the Dallas Cowboys’ Scouting Combine Interviews

Auburn DL Marlon Davidson

Davidson has provided one of the best quotes from the combine and probably provided the Cowboys staff with some more interesting blurbs in his 18 minutes with the team.

For Davidson sounding like a physical player, he does the opposite. Davidson’s game is dependent on his speed and agility. It was part of the reason he struggles to have much body control against more physical tackles and it was part of the reason why he struggled to find playing time as a run stopper, apparently playing only 51 percent of snaps against the run.

Davidson is built like a defensive tackle standing at 6-foot-3 and 303 pounds with 33-inch arms and 10-inch hands. The measurements are great but they don’t answer the questions about his true positional versatility and play style. Completing only 21 bench reps at 225 pounds, he doesn’t hit the threshold of 26 reps for defensive tackles or edge rushers.

His speed and quickness are excellent for inside rushers but in a spot that usually requires a certain amount of physicality, how will he hold up?

More from Cowboys Draft

• Dallas Cowboys 2019 Draft: Re-grading the picks 4 year later
• Dallas Cowboys: Re-grading the 2018 draft class (round by round)
• Re-grading the Dallas Cowboys 2016 draft, seven years later
• Dallas Cowboys 2023 UDFA profiles – Who are these guys?
• Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft grades: The science of the grades, pick by pick

These questions were hopefully answered in the formal interview. With defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s scheme, as long as pass rushers are available Nolan will create alignments to take advantage of mismatches. Davidson could be an excellent piece to the addition, assuming he plays more than he did at Auburn. (He started all season for the Tigers but his snap counts were a bit all over the place)

The formal interview probably gave Davidson the ability to express where he wants to play in order to give the coaching staff clarity on whether they want to draft Davidson. The expectation is he falls anywhere from the late first round to the third round. Even for such a wide range of picks, the Cowboys only have three picks in those three rounds so hitting on players that will be productive at the next level is imperative for this team.

Can Davidson do that?