Tag: Chauncey Golston

‘Now it’s a job:’ Will McClay’s scouting report on all 11 Cowboys draft picks

The team’s VP of player personnel offers advice for the team’s rookies ahead of minicamp and gives his thoughts on each player.

Welcome to the NFL, rookies.

Friday marks the start of minicamp for 29 NFL teams, including the Cowboys. Drafted prospects, undrafted free agents, and others simply invited for tryouts- 31 players in all- will go through three days of initial evaluation at The Star in Frisco as they prepare to compete with the team’s veterans for a spot on the final roster.

Will McClay, the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel and the man who had a hand in each one of them being given the opportunity, had a final word of advice for the youngsters.

“This isn’t college anymore,” McClay said, in part. “Now it’s a job.”

ESPN’s Todd Archer got McClay’s scouting report on all 11 of the Cowboys’ draft picks as they prepare for their first day on the company payroll. Here are excerpts from his comments:

Cowboys 53-man roster prediction is heavy on defense following draft

The Dallas Cowboys will go heavy on defense in this way too early 53-man roster prediction for the 2021 season.

The 2021 NFL draft dust is just settling, rookie free agents are in the process of getting signed and the teams are narrowing down their rosters to 90 players. The Dallas Cowboys did a little house cleaning to their roster when they released veteran players recently, most notably DT Antwaun Woods, to reach the threshold.

Now set within the roster rules with their 90-man arsenal, the Cowboys have less than four months to trim the player down to its initial 53-man team. Here’s a way too early guess at what the 2021 edition of the Cowboys might look like when they break training camp and head into the season.

Cowboys announce rookie jersey numbers, Parsons gets Penn State 11

The Cowboys announced jersey numbers for their rookies. Micah Parsons get his old college number 11, and others gets those of past stars.

The NFL recently adjusted its rules when it comes to jersey numbers, loosening restrictions about who can wear what. Running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and linebackers can all wear single-digit numbers, starting in 2021. For veterans, switching jersey numbers comes with a weird expense. The players have to buy out their old numbers, at retail price, or wait until 2022.

The draft is less than a week old, but newcomers to the league have no such restrictions. The newest rookies of the Dallas Cowboys know what numbers they’ll be wearing under the bright lights of AT&T Stadium now, and their first-round selection Micah Parsons has taken advantage of the opportunity to keep his Penn State jersey number alive, No. 11.

While Cedrick Wilson is the most recent wearer of the number, the most famous recent wearer is ex-Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley. Parsons took to Twitter once it was announced, and seemed extremely pleased as he posted a picture of himself rocking his old number standing over the home of the Cowboys.

The former Nittany Lion will be an important piece of the Cowboys defense right off the bat playing alongside Jaylon Smith and Keanu Neal, and the expectation, as it is with all first-rounders, is for him to continue the dominant play from his college days.

Several other rookies will have big shoes to fill with their new numbers as well. Second-round pick Kelvin Joseph will sport the No. 24, recently vacated by Chidobe Awuzie and once worn by Everson Walls. He made four Pro Bowls, was a three-time first-team All-Pro, and lead the NFL in interceptions three times during his nine-year career (1981-1989) in Dallas. Also, Marion Barber rocked it for six years (2005-2010) and scored 47 rushing touchdowns as one of the league’s toughest runners.

Third-round pick Nahshon Wright will wear No. 40 which was made famous in Dallas by special teams wizard Bill Bates for 15 seasons (1983-1997). Bates was named to the Pro Bowl in 1984, becoming the first special teams player to receive such an honor. He was also named an All-Pro that season and was a member of the Cowboys dynasty in the 1990s that won three Super Bowls.

Speedster Simi Fehoko was taken in the fifth round to add depth to the Cowboys receiver group, and his No. 81 comes with high expectations. Hall of Famer Terrell Owens played for the Cowboys for three seasons (2006-2008) and registered 1,000 yards every year, made a Pro Bowl, an All-Pro team, and scored 38 touchdowns over that span.

Fehoko leaked the news Monday when he posted a picture of himself wearing the old number of Owens, and the caption was his infamous phrase “Get your popcorn ready”.

Here’s a full list of all of the new assignments.

11: LB Micah Parsons
24: CB Kelvin Joseph
75: DT Osa Odighizuwa
59: DE Chauncey Golston
40: CB Nahshon Wright
48: LB Jabril Cox
76: OT Josh Ball
81: WR Simi Fehoko
98: NT Quinton Bohanna
38: S Israel Mukuamu
68: C/G Matt Farniok

[vertical-gallery id=670209][listicle id=670377]

An edge rush prospect for Cowboys to consider drafting for all 7 rounds

Tim Lettiero reviews seven defensive ends that can fit into Dan Quinn’s new system in each round in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft.

The Dallas Cowboys defensive line is going to look different under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Of this fans should have no doubt. Quinn likes to employ two counter-acting defensive ends. On the left is a 4-technique who plays directly over the tackle, or a 5-technique who plays on the outside shoulder of the tackle. This role is typically referred to as a 4-3 base end. On the right he favors a position known as the LEO.

This position has a bit versatility as to how it lines up, however the main goal is to capitalize on the player’s athleticism. They can line up with their hand in the dirt in a Wide-9 position (outside shoulder of the tight end) or standing up. Current starters Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory fit both of these roles well, however the depth behind them is questionable. The recently signed Tarell Basham joins the likes of Ron’Dell Carter, Bradlee Anae and Dorance Armstrong as relatively safe back ups and rotational pieces, but this position could still use addressing.

Here are options in each round of the upcoming 2021 NFL draft for Cowboys Nation to become familiar with.

Saints doing their homework on 2021 defensive line prospects

The New Orleans Saints have added 2021 NFL draft prospects Jay Tufele (USC) and Chauncey Golston (Iowa) to their list of virtual interviews.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

There are going to be changes up front for the New Orleans Saints defense in 2021. That’s already clear by the departure of sacks leader Trey Hendrickson at defensive end, who earned a big free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins is also likely to join a new team, and the Saints recently traded nose tackle Malcom Brown to the Jacksonville Jaguars. With little resources to spend on free agents themselves, expect the Saints to make some moves in the draft to retool their defensive line.

That process has already begun in virtual interviews with this year’s draft prospects; The Spun’s Chris Rosvoglou reported that USC big man Jay Tufele has a meeting scheduled with the Saints, in addition to a previous interview with Iowa’s Chauncey Golston reported by the Draft Network’s Justin Melo. The Saints have also reportedly met with early-round prospects Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill.

Tufele weighs in at 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, making him an ideal fit inside at defense tackle; the Saints have fielded just one lineman heavier than that in recent years, in Brown (320). Tufele is known for his high motor but can end up in the turf often if he’s not careful, and he hasn’t done well when asked to take on double team blocks. It’s easy to see him as a possible Sheldon Rankins replacement, but the Saints already have players like him in Shy Tuttle and Malcolm Roach.

Golston tips the scales at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, fitting the prototype the Saints have valued out on the edge, where he’s spent most of his career. But he’s also moved inside and shown some promise as an interior rusher in sub-packages. He’s a very strong run defender and plays technically-sound football, but lacks the athleticism to make an impact on passing downs (totaling just 35 pressures on 250 pass rush snaps in 2020, including a career-high 7 sacks).

Both players are considered mid-round prospects, so watch out for them when the Saints are on the board in the fourth round at No. 134 or so. They won’t get another selection — barring a trade — until the sixth round at No. 218, their compensatory pick for losing linebacker A.J. Klein last year.

[listicle id=43259]