Dallas Cowboys Draft: 5 Offensive Linemen for 5 Rounds

Matt Hennessy, Temple

Round Grade: Late 2nd

Value: Correct

Percent Probability: 80%

Hennessy was in Philadelphia for four years playing for a program that went through several coaching changes during his time there. That didn’t matter for the Owl as he showcased remarkable consistency on an offensive line that was all over the place.

The consistency drew high praise from former Vice President of Player Personnel Gil Brandt.

As a prospect, Hennessy passes the athletic measurement tests. His 7.45-second 3-cone drill and 4.6-second short shuttle were the second-best times among all offensive linemen. Hennessy continued his strong showing at the combine by running through the position drills with ease.

As an offensive lineman, Hennessy is still a work in progress. His hand usage and reaction speed are very good and it allows him to always engage first at the point of attack. This allows him to extend his arms fully to prevent people from driving him backward. While he didn’t struggle with bull rushes at the collegiate level, he might face an issue at the next level as the level competition in the NFL is significantly higher.

Hennessy is a solid pass blocker. He has a good base and moves well from side to side. He can switch his assignment quickly, but he doesn’t always do it correctly. Also, he looks like he leans his upper body forward, and while he keeps his head high, it looks like someone could pull him to the ground if the defender was technically skilled enough.

As a run blocker, Hennessy has experience doing all sorts of blocks. He is a very consistent man blocker and was consistently open holes for his running back. In combo blocks, he didn’t always initiate enough contact with his first level defender before reaching the second level thus leaving his guard in a losing situation. Besides, while he can pull very well, he does get caught going the wrong direction when trying to make the block on a defender.

However, for how inconsistent the Owl is in run blocking, he is a very solid pass protector. The midseason All-American showed good ability to switch assignments. While his teammates were slower to react, Hennessy was generally in the right position at the right time.

While he isn’t as nuanced as a run blocker, Hennessy could be a plug-and-play starter for the Cowboys. While he could look to get stronger, he has the build to handle power rushes and he would be another athletic piece to an already uber-athletic offensive line.