Dallas Cowboys add to edge with Sam Williams

The Dallas Cowboys came back for day two of the NFL Draft with holes to fill and talent still lingering on the board. While the second round started to fall it looked like wide receiver might make it to the Cowboys, alas, it was not to be as a run just before the Cowboys picked the position clean.

With Nakobe Dean tumbling, there were thoughts the Cowboys could grab him at 56. Instead, the Cowboys went with the guy rumored to them for months in Sam Williams, edge, Ole Miss.

With the loss of Randy Gregory in free agency, the Cowboys decided to add Dante Fowler and keep Dorance Armstrong as their temporary, or perhaps permanent, solution.

The Cowboys worked with Sam Williams during the draft preparation, so the choice was not a surprise to those who were paying attention. Williams has some traits the Cowboys love and some that will need work. He will now be a part of a rotation at defensive end.

With the Dallas Cowboys picking in the second round needing to fill holes, they add to defensive end with Sam Williams

Williams is a speed rusher out of Ole Miss had a productive senior year. He has an explosive first step and he uses it to build up speed to get to the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. He has a strong first punch and can knock players back if he gets that first step in time with it. He is tenacious and doesn’t give up on plays. There were some abilities to dropping into flats and using his length and speed in his zone well.

The downside to Williams is he does not have very much bend to get around the offensive tackle, so quicker tackles give him some problems. He had a lot of penalties for undisciplined play last year and will need to learn to stay in control on the field. Williams does not set the edge well against the run and gets pushed out more often than you would like. He has some missed tackles that will need to be cleaned up at the next level.

Overall, the Dallas Cowboys were high on Williams the entire draft process. Here they get a moldable player they hope can develop to a more complete edge. With some flash Williams has displayed, there is some hope he can be what the Cowboys want. Many draft experts had Williams in the third round, so this might have been a bit of a reach, but they really liked him and he was their target.