Dallas Cowboys complete 7-round mock draft 2023: Cowboys trade back!
By Reid Hanson
. LB. Crimson Tide . Henry To’oTo’o. 83. player. 829
The Dallas Cowboys snag Henry To’oTo’o to fill out the ranks at LB
The Dallas Cowboys are thin at linebacker and are just one Leighton Vander Esch injury away from disaster. While Demone Clark has shown promise, he’s only one man and no one should be banking on Jabril Cox unless he shows something.
Dallas will set their sights on multiple linebacker prospects and frankly, one cannot be ruled out with their first pick. At the end of the day they’ll sit back and let one fall to them and in this case it’s Henry To’oTo’o from Alabama.
Even though Noah Sewell was on the board, his game film from 2022 is too concerning to overlook. He has some Jaylon Smith-like tendencies (not in a good way) that may be impossible to overcome. So the safe pick and the value pick wins out.
Ranking 78 on the consensus board, the value is here for Dallas. This is a linebacker who can start on Day 1 if asked to. He’s smart, scheme-versatile, who can play behind both odd and even man fronts. He piled up the numbers at Alabama and could play either MIKE or WILL in Dallas.
According to Tyler Haskins at TDN, two main issue are holding him back to some scouts
- Competitive fire
- Block deconstruction
They technically go hand-in-hand but let me explain. If kept clean, Henry is a tackle producing beast from the linebacker position. If met with resistance, he all too often gets washed out. This brings us to the competitive fire – He appears to accept the blocks and doesn’t strive to fight through and win. This could be just a perception from scouts or it could be reality. Either way, it’s why someone like him potentially slips.
LVE is similarly someone who’s one of the best in the NFL when clean, but just average when blocked (paging Johnathan Hankins). Linebackers are only as good as the big guys in front of them are and Henry here is a perfect example.
All of that said, this is a great selection that insulates the Dallas Cowboys at the second level. He’s smart, versatile, and ready to go.