The NFL Combine has come and gone and now draft hopefuls will turn to pro days and on-site meetings with NFL teams ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.
The Sooners weren’t short on invitees to the NFL Combine, sending 11 players to the annual event. That number tied with Alabama for the second-most participants at the combine behind Georgia’s 14.
In his first mock draft after the NFL Combine, The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs gave Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey a big bump, sending him to the Dallas Cowboys at 24th overall.
The Cowboys have already shown they have an affinity for Oklahoma defensive tackles when they drafted Neville Gallimore a few years back. This isn’t quite that, though. Instead, Winfrey has prototypical length and I would assume he can play some odd front end, base end, and serve as a 3-tech. The Senior Bowl (and combine) showcased what Winfrey can look like when he’s not playing zero-tech… and I like that projection quite a bit. – Crabbs, The Draft Network
Alongside former Sooners CeeDee Lamb and Neville Gallimore, Perrion Winfrey would provide Oklahoma fans further incentive to follow the Dallas Cowboys.
Neville Gallimore was solid in his first season, but a preseason injury before 2021 limited him to just five games at the end of the year. He’ll have another year in Dan Quinn’s system and hopefully an offseason with a clean bill of health to continue to round his game out. Adding Winfrey to the mix gives the Cowboys two defensive tackles with ridiculous motors and interior versatility.
Osa Odighizuwa and veteran Brent Urban look poised to hold down the one-technique spot in Dan Quinn’s four-down look. A rotation of Winfrey and Gallimore at 3-technique can help keep Micah Parsons clean while providing an interior pass rush. That might be something Quinn could get behind.
The Cowboys don’t have a major hole at defensive tackle. However, investing draft capital on one of the premier defensive tackles in this draft class to help make life easier for your All-Pro linebacker seems like a sound strategy.
The Cowboys also don’t have any impact players on the interior of their defensive line. There are guys with a lot of potential, but someone with Winfrey’s talent, demeanor, and energy would be welcomed on a Dallas. Cowboys defense that allowed 170 rushing yards to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.
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