Rookie Cowboys LB Marist Liufau may be relegated to riding pine to start

Marist Liufau may not fit into a top role immediately in 2024 but he’s going to serve an important role on the Cowboys. | From @ReidDHanson

In the NFL, top-100 draft picks are like gold. Selections inside the top three rounds are expected to be key contributors, if not instant starters. They are the building blocks of the roster which often dictate a team’s success in both the short-term and long-term.

The Cowboys take a balanced approach to their use of top-100 picks most years. They have a solid hit rate overall but also have a track record of some wild gambles. In the 2024 NFL draft the Cowboys raised eyebrows when they selected a rarely discussed linebacker prospect over positions of seemingly greater need like running back and defensive tackle.

Marist Liufau, their selection at No. 87, was an overdraft according to consensus boards. He was also a tough fit in the starting lineup. If the Cowboys had drafted a RB or DT, the player would likely face a much clearer path to a starting role. The decision was met with uproar from an already annoyed fanbase. Now with recent news indicating Liufau may be no better than LB4 when the new season breaks, frustration is again beginning to bubble up in Cowboys Nation.

As Jon Machota reported from OTAs, Eric Kendricks will be in the middle at MIKE while DeMarvion Overshown and Damone Clark flank him at WILL and SAM, respectively. It leaves the rookie Liufau on the outside looking in and outsiders wondering why the Cowboys wasted a top-100 pick on a depth piece.

The Cowboys took a special approach to their roster building in 2024.

They saw the mistakes they made in the past and took action to correct it. After years of paying league-high amounts to the RB position, Dallas pulled back and took a new place at the bottom of the NFL. After a season where their LB depth was a major issue, they invested in long-term moldable talent to support the physicality of the position.

Position value played an enormous role in their decision making and since they considered Liufau a special player and the RB position a spot that can be filled with replacement-level players, they went with a player who might start the season as nothing more than a special teamer.

Let’s be clear – Liufau is just as much about the present as he is about the future.  LB is a brutal position and requires rotations and depth to properly operate. Given the lack of girth the Cowboys have in their defensive interior, the LB corps is likely in for added abuse as offensive linemen break through to meet them at the second level.

It’s no small thing the Cowboys appear to be cross training their LB room as well. Clark is best on the outside but he has experience at all three posts. Overshown missed his rookie season but wore the green dot in training camp last season and could fill in at MIKE if called upon. Liufau has instant MIKE and WILL flex. He’s one of the smarter prospects of his draft class and should be able to help to relieve either position as a rookie.

Since Mike Zimmer plays primarily nickel defense, there are only two true starting LB positions on his defense, but rotations and injury replacements make it a position Dallas has to be deep at and Liufau gives the Cowboys depth and a little bit more.

The Cowboys may come to regret their carefree approach to the RB position but the way they handled LB was important to the health and wellness of the defense.

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