Length, effort, hand usage, motor, leadership and versatility were all examples of words used to describe Iowa DE Chauncey Golston going into the NFL draft. Golston was a three-star recruit out of high school who didn’t get much attention from a lot of big colleges despite tallying 96 tackles and 22 sacks in his final two years of high school. The Iowa Hawkeyes were the only team to offer Golston a scholarship. After basically being red shirted for two seasons in order to add bulk to his frame, Golston started to pay dividends for the Hawkeyes as a redshirt sophomore.
Golston was extremely consistent his final three seasons at Iowa. He put up 35, 47 and 45 tackles respectively, nine for a loss as a sophomore, 9.5 as a junior, and 8.5 as a senior. He also added 3.5 sacks, three sacks, and 5.5 sacks in those final three years too. Golston wasn’t graded out as a top pick in the draft, he was more of a run-stopping edge setter, without top-tier pass rush traits. That combination isn’t look upon positively for defensive ends going into the draft, and the Dallas Cowboys were criticized in some quarters for the pick being too early for Golston even though he wasn’t drafted until the third round at pick No. 84.
The next player up in the Cowboys 2021 player profile countdown is No. 59, rookie DE Chauncey Golston.