Dallas Cowboys 7-Round 2023 Mock Draft 3.0
By Cassidy Cook
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Dallas Cowboys – Round 6 – Anefrenee Orji – Linebacker – Vanderbilt
Height: 6'1" Weight: 230lbs. Forty: 4.53 Wingspan: 78.75"
This pick has Dan Quinn’s fingerprints all over it. Anefrenee (An-fer-nee) Orji (Or-jee) is an explosive linebacker with the height, weight, and span desired by defensive coordinators. Orji switched from safety to linebacker in 2020 where he led Vanderbilt in tackles for the last 3 seasons. He attacks with speed and uses his natural instincts in pursuit from sideline to sideline. Orji is a tackling machine and isn’t afraid to come down and truck opposing ball carriers in the run game.
Although Orji is willing and able to meet opposing ball carriers at the line, he sometimes gets stuck in warding off offensive linemen. In other words, he gets stuck behind blocks and will fail to mitigate run plays. His game is very much predicated on his athleticism and sideline-to-sideline pursuit. Some may view him as a scheme-specific linebacker but would fit in nicely in Dan Quinn’s upbeat and heavy rotational ideology we’ve seen the past two seasons.
Where he fits in Dallas: Orji is still relatively new to the position as he fully transitioned to linebacker from safety less than three years ago. I only see him getting better as he learns the nuances of the position and Dan Quinn would be the perfect coordinator with Leighton Vander Esch and Micah Parson to guide him on his journey. Expect the Texas native to be a chase-and-tackle 4-3 Will linebacker who can will be a solid depth piece with the potential to grow.