The Dallas Cowboys rocked in the NFL Draft with top-notch defenders, and fans are pumped. And yes, we will add, Jerry Jones, cooked with his picks.
Of course, the cream of the crop is All-American safety Caleb Downs from Ohio State, a defensive stud who can play safety, nickel cornerback, and blitz the quarterback. He's truly the jack-of-all-trades player the football gods gifted Jones with.
The other first-rounder not getting as much attention, but just as much love, is UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. If some fans are still on the fence about the All-Big 12 First Teamer, Christian Parker will change your mind, and he instilled fear for the rest of the NFC East when discussing how Lawrence can be a real threat.
Christian Parker says Malachi Lawrence specializes in attacking fast quarterbacks
Following the rookie minicamp on Friday, Lawrence talked about his potential, saying he's far from reaching it. The ceiling looks high for the former UCF Knight, but Parker included a fire quote that will have the rest of the NFC East buzzing (h/t Jon Machota, The Athletic).
“I think you see just a natural rusher on tape. He has natural instincts. He can turn his toe at the top of the rush. He plays with power. He plays with urgent effort. You see him just running down quarterbacks. And that’s one thing we talk about. The three quarterbacks in our division are all athletic. So anybody we deploy on the edge has to be able to run sideline to sideline with them. And he has that.”
Jaxson Dart, Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts are all runners, and it's nice to have someone who can chase down fast quarterbacks. It's also a bonus to have a strength at stopping the run, which is Jones' new mantra he loves to live by.
Of course, as it is with any rookie, he's going to take time to develop. But Lawrence was seen as a late bloomer right before the draft, and the Cowboys took advantage to find their next big-name pass rusher.
Where the Cowboys drafted Lawrence (the first round) matters too, as he looks like he's definitely going to give Rashan Gary a run for his money. After arguably the worst defensive season in franchise history, the Cowboys have room to work on rookie projects. After all, it can't get any more ugly than Matt Eberflus' defense a year ago.
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