2021 NFL College Draft
The Dallas Cowboys went into the 2021 College Draft looking for help on the defensive side of the ball...and for good reason. Dallas had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2020. The Cowboys had the 10th overall selection in this years draft, but at the last minute they traded that pick to Philadelphia (?) for an additional pick and dropped to the 12th overall position.. With the 12th pick Dallas went to Penn State for linebacker help..
Number 11 is Micah Parsons, who tips the scales at 245 pounds and stands 6 foot 3. With the recent retirement of Sean Lee (also from Penn State) the Cowboys have a serious need at the linebacker position. Experts are calling Parsons the best linebacker in this years draft. He sat out the 2020 season fearing an injury would hurt his chances in the draft. He possess outstanding speed and is a physical punisher when he makes the tackle. If he is not in the starting line-up in game one..something is wrong.
Round two of the College Draft saw the Cowboys continue on the defensive as they went for Cornerback Kelvin Joseph of Kentucky.
Dallas attempted to trade up in the second round but talks with the New York Jets fell threw. With the 44th overall pick the Cowboys hopefully can upgrade a very porous secondary. Joseph played three years at Louisiana State University, but after altercations with the coaching staff, he transferred to Kentucky. He is 6 foot 1 and weighs 197 pounds. Exceptionally good at man-to-man coverage and is big, fast, and very athletic...BUT needs to control that temper. Loves to hit and make tackles. Coaches say he is very cocky and very confident in his abilities. Dallas had three picks in the third round of the draft and continued to look for help for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. The first of three selections in the third found the Cowboys going for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
First problem here will be trying to get his name on the back of a jersey.. Odighizuwa is 6 foot 2 and 280 pounds and saw action all four years at U.C.L.A. He was first team All Pac12 and named the top defensive lineman in the 2021 Senior Bowl. Recorded 30 tackles in seven games for the Bruins and could find a spot on the team with the sudden retirement of Tyrone Crawford last month. The second third-round pick for Dallas was the 84th overall selection and Dallas continued to try and shore up the defensive line by picking end Chauncey Golston of Iowa.
Golston is 6 foot 5 and 270 pounds of solid muscle, and the first Hawkeye taken in this years draft. He was honorable mention to the All Big-10 Conference and led the team with 45 tackles and 5 and a half sacks his senior season. Coaches say he is a great edge rusher and excels against the running game. The third pick in the third round found Dallas looking to the great Northwest when they selected Nahshon Wright, a giant of a cornerback from Oregon State University.
Wright is 6 foot 4 and 188 pounds and the tallest cornerback in college football in 2020. He was the 99th overall pick in the draft. Coaches named Wright to the All Big 12 Conference Team after last season. In his final year Wright recorded 64 tackles with one sack and five interceptions. Against the pass he also recorded eleven pass breakups. He bypassed his senior season to apply for the NFL draft. The Cowboys had two selections in the fourth round of the draft and with the first one they made the call to Jabril Cox of L.S.U.
Cox is 6 foot 3 and 232 pounds and was the 115th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He spent three years at North Dakota State and the Buffs were small college national champions all three years. For his senior year he transferred to Baton Rouge. In 2020 he recorded 58 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 6 and a half tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He also is credited with knocking down 5 pass attempts. LSU coaches say the sky is the limit for this one as he loves to 'get his hands dirty.' His position coach says he lives for the hard contact of an open field tackle. The second selection of the fourth round (138th overall) found the Cowboys making their first pick for an offensive player..and a controversial one at that.
Dallas picked Josh Ball, a giant offensive tackle from Marshall University. This was the 138th overall pick in the draft. Ball played for Florida State for three years but transferred to Marshall after being suspended at Florida State for a domestic abuse charge from an ex-girlfriend. Dallas Vice-President Stephen Jones said the team did an in depth background check on Ball and the team is confident he is now headed in the right direction. Ball is 6 foot 5 and 323 pounds. In the fifth round of the NFL Draft the Cowboys found another offensive player to their liking in wide receiver Simi Fehoko of Stanford University.
Fehoko is the 179th overall pick and stands 6 foot 4 and 222 pounds. Lots of speed in Fehoko as he ran a 4.40 in his forty yard sprint at the Stanford pro day for NFL scouts. In 2020 he recorded 61 catches for 1140 yards and 9 touchdowns. In the game against rival UCLA he had 16 catches alone. With Michael Gallop becoming a free agent next season, Fehoko could be in a good position to replace him. In the sixth round of the draft Dallas returned to their defensive mode (that's 7 out of 9 picks for the defense, if you're keeping count) when they returned to Kentucky for additional line help.
Quinton Bohanna was the 192 overall pick in this years draft and stands 6 foot 4 and tips the scales at 357 pounds. In 2020 Bohanna had 58 tackles for the Wildcats, 9 and a half behind the line of scrimmage. He also forced two fumbles and recovered one of them. Cowboy coaches say they see him as a nose tackle and a sure run stopper. Kentucky coaches say he is the sleeper of the draft and should have gone much higher in the selection process. With their seventh and final pick, Dallas found a player to help with the injuries to the offensive line last year. Guard Matt Farniok of the University of Nebraska..
Farniok is 6 foot 6 and 330 pounds. He is a two time team captain for the Huskers and has started every game for the past two seasons at Lincoln. Nebraska coaches say he is a great blocker in the running game. A couple of times injuries forced Nebraska to use Farniok at the center position and he came through with flying colors. He was named to the All Big 10 Conference honor team and Nebraska named him their offensive lineman of the year in 2020. That completes the 2021 NFL draft for the Cowboys, but coaches have already fanned out across the country searching for free agents to help the team. Rumors have it that two wide receivers (one from Texas and one from Texas Tech) have already signed with Dallas. We wish all the players good luck as they move to the professional game. With the return of quarterback Dak Prescott from his major injury last year, the team can only get better..... Please !
Free Agents signed since college draft...Player School Position
Brenden Knox Marshall RB
Osiris Mitchell Miss. State WR
Tyler Coyle Purdue LB/S
Artayvious Lynn TCU TE
Brandon Smith Iowa WR
JaQuan Hardy Tiffin RB
Anthony Hines Tex A&M LB
Brennan Eagles Texas WR
T J Vasher Tex Tech WR
Braylon Jones Houston OL
Nick Ralston Louisiana ATH
Nick Eubanks Michigan TE
Austin Faoliu Oregon DE
