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Dallas Cowboys Draft: 5 Tight Ends for 5 Rounds

By Adithya Prabakaran

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Cole Kmet #TE08 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Cole Kmet
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 25: Cole Kmet #TE08 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Cole Kmet /
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Dallas Cowboys
Dalton Keene (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech

Round Grade: Late 6th/Early 7th

Value: Correct

A fifth-round pick for a sixth-round player shouldn’t equate to good value mathematically speaking, however, Day 3 of the draft is more about athletic projections than player grades. In the middle of the fourth round, every prospect starts to look the same. Teams look to athleticism to find the outliers.

Keene has a nice athletic profile to work with. With the possibility of him being available with the Cowboys fifth-round compensatory selection, this would be a commendable move.

The Hokie had a good day at the combine recording a 4.71-second 40-yard dash, a 34-inch vertical jump, a 125-inch broad jump, a 4.19-second short shuttle, and a ridiculous 7.01-second 3-cone drill. At 253 pounds with a thick upper body, that is an impressive time.

For the athletic marvel that is Keene, that hasn’t translated into much production. In three seasons, he has tallied 59 receptions for 748 yards and eight touchdowns. He is a very sure-handed target who fights for the ball in contested catches. As a run blocker, you see a guy who is feisty and tries to push people around against their will. He does this lined up everywhere as a Y-tight end, an H-back, and as a fullback.

Unfortunately, he isn’t a developed route runner nor does he have a big route tree to work with. As a blocker his pursuit angles are inconsistent and his hand placement is all over the place. Keene would require a lot of coaching at the next level, but he makes for an intriguing prospect.

With the positional versatility and little special teams experience, Keene could find himself on a roster by the end of Day 3 as he fits to role a tough, high energy guy on special teams and offense.

Next. Dallas Cowboys Draft: 7 Safeties for 7 Rounds. dark

With this selection, this marks the last tight end of this article. In the seventh round, the Cowboys did not have a tight end available to draft. This is indicative of a small and generally weaker tight end class. If the Cowboys need a plug and play guy, they are best suited to find one in free agency. If they aren’t the fourth round might be their calling card.

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