While a healthy Leighton Vander Esch seems locked in as the Dallas Cowboys starting middle man, it is not yet clear what the rest of the linebacker depth chart will ultimately look like. Yes, incumbent starter Jaylon Smith is set to return and hybrid player Keanu Neal has joined he mix, but who will play where and the assurance of playing time is more up in the air than many observers may think. As such, there may be a movement in the Cowboys front office to secure a premier player at the position at some point early in the 2021 draft. This draft contains an extremely talented and deep linebacker group with value coming throughout the course of the weekend.
Notre Dame star Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is not the traditional linebacker and like Isaiah Simmons last year, that could end up being a turn-off for teams looking to take a linebacker early. Owusu-Koramoah is widely considered to be a mid-to-late first-round talent and should be selected as such, but if the Cowboys were to trade down from No. 10 he may become an intriguing option for an organization that continues to value the position more than many other teams in the league.