3 Potential Busts the Cowboys Must Avoid With No. 24

1. Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA

Dallas has several solid pass rushers led by Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Behind them, there's Dante Fowler, Jr., Sam Williams, and the criminally underrated Dorance Armstrong. That depth is impressive but it's also about to be tested.

Fowler and Armstrong are both pending free agents and there's a chance one — or both — could leave. There's bound to be interest from teams outside of Dallas, including the Washington Commanders who are now coached by Dan Quinn. The former Cowboys defensive coordinator is in need of defensive ends, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to see him add Fowler or Armstrong.

Even if both were to leave, the Cowboys shouldn't feel too much pressure to go after a pass rusher. Parsons is still one of the best in the game and Williams has only scratched the surface of his potential. Still, it's a need especially given Lawrence's age. That's why it might be tempting for the Cowboys to pull the trigger on Laiatu Latu from UCLA if he were to slide to No. 24.

If that does happen, they need to avoid the temptation.

This isn't to say Latu is a bad player, because he's far from it. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive end is a fantastic prospect who had 23.5 sacks over the past two seasons for the Bruins. He comes pro-ready with a bevy of pass-rush moves and has a non-stop motor. But there's a huge red flag — Latu had a neck injury that cost him two full seasons.

Again, this goes back to Leighton Vander Esch. Dallas ignored the medical red flag there and while they had some good production for a couple of years, he ultimately couldn't stay on the field. Anyone and everyone should hope that's not the case for Latu and he has enough talent for someone to take the chance. Dallas just shouldn't be that team considering how many injured players they rolled the dice on and wound up losing.

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