Dallas Cowboys Draft: 7 defensive tackle prospects in 7 different rounds

Jordon Scott, Oregon

Value: Solid

It feels like in this draft class there are several interior defensive linemen who likely have greater success at the professional level because the way they were used collegiately was incredibly incorrect. They ironically all seem to have played in the PAC-12. It is hard to fault defensive coordinators for trying different things because a the opponents gameplan calls for it; it is just the way things are now.

Scott, currently standing 6-feet, 311 pounds, was often lined up as a 0 or 1-technique in Oregon’s hybrid defense. The familiarity with one and two gapping makes him attractive to front offices, but his size and length don’t really match playing in both A gaps at the next level. Before he lost 40 pounds heading into his senior year, you could have made that case. Now? Not so much.

Having reworked his body, he still displays ample play strength and good pad level to leverage gaps in the run game and doesn’t get taken out of the play by double teams. He doesn’t have great explosiveness which prevents him from getting push at the line, but he does show good motor and physical toughness to engage quickly and anchor his lower body so that his shorter 31 inch arms don’t compromise the rest of his body.

His game shares a lot of parallels to current Cowboys DT Neville Gallimore. Both players aren’t the most flexible athletes so their best pass rushing sequences will likely be bull or power rushes. Gallimore’s explosiveness allows him to turn speed to power much quicker, but Scott’s natural understanding of leverage allows him to be plenty effective in one-on-one situations.

It is fair to say Scott projects as a 3-technique at the next level but his run-stuffing ability could be valuable as the team tries to find that 3-technique who can play on early downs.