Dallas Cowboys Complete Mock Draft: Big Guys and Big Trades
Tyler Shelvin, IDL, LSU Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft
3rd Round, Pick 86
Tyler Shelvin, IDL, LSU
Traded Picks 96 and 179 to NYJ for Pick 86
I used the New England Pick and the fifth-round compensatory pick to trade up and get a good run defender in Tyler Shelvin. Not much went well for LSU this season, but Shelvin played pretty well anchoring the defensive line in LSU’s typical tite front. Listed at 6-foot-2, 364 pounds he displays adequate athletic ability but good play strength.
He displays good upfield burst because he is good at keying the ball and has a good motor that allows him to initiate contact at the point of attack. He has the play strength, pad level, and patience to hold double teams on runs. He doesn’t display much upside as a pass rusher because of his adequate explosiveness leaving him unable to turn speed into power, but he does eat up double teams for his teammates to rush in free.
Even in a Dan Quinn 4-3 Under scheme, having a good 1-technique tackle is important because the interior defensive line will occasionally 2-gap in hopes of allowing the outside rushers to have a clear shot at the quarterback. Not recognizing Quinn’s influence, this team was bad at stopping the run because the free agents they signed to defend the run seriously lacked effort. Let’s get the team another fat guy and go to work.
3rd Round, Pick 105
Shaun Wade, CB, Ohio State
Traded Pick 99 to NO for Picks 105 and 2022 Round 5
With the last pick in the third round, the Cowboys get to draft a prospect from a position they badly need. Unfortunately, the merit of the player has been in question after the last season. Shaun Wade was seen as a late first-round pick heading into the 2020 football season, but after moving to the outside he seemingly lost all positive momentum by the time he battled DeVonta Smith in the National Championship.
The redshirt junior stands at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds; a solid build for a cornerback. Last season, he primarily played in the slot and used his bigger body, good body control, solid agility and change of direction to successfully cover wide receivers in the slot. The ability for him to line up in press coverage and successfully cover wide receivers left many people optimistic about him playing outside where he has the benefit of the boundary.
Turns out his proficiency in the slot didn’t translate accordingly and his stock has taken a significant tumble. Questions about his foot speed and instincts to read and react to receivers footwork at the line of scrimmage have risen this season. In an attempt to understand why he was successful inside, people believe playing him at free safety might allow him to read/react to the quarterback more often and let everything play in front of him so he doesn’t have to match or mirror a wide receiver who may have an athletic advantage over him.
Whatever happens to Wade at the NFL will likely depend on his development. The addition of Dan Quinn to the Cowboys likely means the Cowboys will try to run a lot of spot dropping zone coverage. In any case, the ability for him to cover a specific area of the field rather than having to match with a player depending on their route could bode well for him. If the Cowboys are content on playing mostly zone, Wade could see a resurgence as a nickel cornerback.