Dallas Cowboys Complete 7-round Mock Draft: Fixing the trenches

Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft

Round 3 Pick 87

DT Alim McNeill

NC State

With their first pick, the Dallas Cowboys picked up DT Christian Barmore to man the middle. But as we explained, Barmore is an ideal 3-tech. He doesn’t address many of the Cowboys issues at the 1-tech. For that we go back to my pet cat, Alim McNeill.

McNeill is big enough to 2-gap inside at 1-tech, but also athletic enough to pursue down the line and not just be a “trashcan full of dirt” teams can run away from. He can stand up against zone and man blocking schemes and may even be able to play some NT in odd man fronts.

At 6-foot-3, 315lbs., McNeill is fairly explosive. He can shoot the gap and create penetration, making him more than your typical 2-down 1-tech.  It’s also impressive how he can hold the front of the pocket on passing plays and help contain mobile QBs who prefer to play outside of the pocket.

Alim is a fun, high effort player, with skills that make him easy to love and hard to be critical of him. He can play both tackle spots inside and would be a great piece to build around alongside Christian Barmore.

Since we don’t quite know how Trysten Hill and Neville Gallimore fit on the team long-term, McNeill is a nice versatile piece that can fit either role inside. And given Dallas’ disdain for players who are exclusively 2-gap NTs, Alim is a best-case scenario for fans who want some run-stopping girth on this Dallas front four.