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Plus a film room piece, undrafted free agents to watch, and more...
Film room: Evaluating Cowboys’ mid- and late-round picks in 2020 NFL draft - John Owning, SportsDay
Owning is one of the best there is when writing film pieces. He looks at the Cowboys’ day three picks in his latest article that is definitely worth checking out.
Listed at 6-1, 205 pounds with 31 1/2-inch arms, Robinson has prototypical size to go with a bully mindset at the line of scrimmage. He is an explosive player with impressive straight-line speed for his size but does struggle some when it comes to change of direction because he tends to get too high during transitional movement, which affects his balance and ability to quickly accelerate.
One of Robinson’s most impressive performances last season came against Oklahoma State, when he matched up primarily against stud receiver Tylan Wallace, who led the nation in 20-plus-yard catches and should be a relatively high draft pick himself whenever he declares.
Robinson did an excellent job of disrupting Wallace’s routes at the line of scrimmage with effective jams that enabled him to squeeze Wallace’s outside releases to the sideline, giving the quarterback minuscule throwing windows down the sideline. On one snap, Robinson was even able to run Wallace out of bounds, which is a great illustration of his dominance at the line of scrimmage.
Altogether, he gave up just two catches (on four targets) for 16 yards against Oklahoma State, who was one of Tulsa’s two opponents from a Power 5 conference in 2019. His other game against Power 5 competition came against Michigan State, when he allowed just two catches (on five targets) for 10 yards. In all, Robinson allowed just four catches (on nine targets) for 26 yards against the highest caliber of competition his season had to offer.
At 6-1, 205 with 31.5-inch arms, #Cowboys CB Reggie Robinson had 14 forced incompletions and 4 INTs in 2019.
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 25, 2020
If you want to be sold on Robinson, watch his performance against Oklahoma State's Tylan Wallace. pic.twitter.com/PfMZ3gkYs5
NFL Draft 2020: Late-Round Picks Who Could Become Pro Bowlers - Marcus Mosher, Bleacher Report
More praise for the Cowboys’ pick of Reggie Robinson.
Dallas Cowboys CB Reggie Robinson II
Tulsa’s Reggie Robinson II is one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the class. After a great senior season in which he recorded three interceptions, he went to the Senior Bowl and performed well. Then, he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at 205 pounds at the NFL combine.
According to Three Sigma Athlete, Robinson tested in the 93rd percentile for cornerbacks and is one of the best athletes in the class.
The fourth-rounder (pick No. 123) is a highly aggressive, physical cornerback. He’s also a ball hawk, as he had 13 pass deflections. Robinson has above-average arm length (31.5 inches) to go along with standout athleticism, and it shows on tape. He could use a year or two to improve his technique, but his physical traits and ball skills make him one of the most intriguing cornerbacks in the class.
Robinson landed in an ideal situation with the Dallas Cowboys, as he’ll get time to develop and become used to the speed of the NFL. But with Dallas’ pass rush and aggressive defense under coordinator Mike Nolan, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he made a bunch of plays.
Robinson is a high-upside player who should find his way on to the field sooner rather than later.
CB Trevon Diggs Adds Savvy And Stability To Cowboys Secondary - Matthew Lenix, Inside The Star
The first of two corners taken by the Cowboys was Alabama’s Trevon Diggs; he adds “savy and stability” to Dallas.
Once the second round kicked off, safeties and more wide receivers began coming off the board, but one cornerback, surprisingly, was still there for the taking. With 51st pick, the Cowboys landed Trevon Diggs out of Alabama who brings a plethora of skills to the table.
Great instincts and ball skills
Anticipation is one of the best tools to have when you’re a cornerback. You must process information quickly and react accordingly. Diggs has the instincts to cut off routes and disrupt the release.
Having a background at the wide receiver position also helps Diggs out a lot. He’s able to read the receiver’s eyes, turn his head around, and high point the ball in the air, which is textbook technique.
Cowboys 2020 draft choices reveal what their defensive scheme might look like - David Howman, BTB
What do the Cowboys’ 2020 draft picks tell us about their defensive plans?
While Robinson might not be as much of a lock to start right away as Diggs, it sent a very clear message about what the Cowboys are looking to do on the back end of their defense. They’re going to run a lot of aggressive, press man coverage with two rangy safeties playing over the top.
This sounds a lot like the scheme that the Minnesota Vikings run under Mike Zimmer, where Cover 2 and quarters coverage reign supreme and cornerbacks have to be able to play press man coverage without getting burned. It should be no coincidence, then, that Zimmer’s defensive coordinator for the last six years, George Edwards, is on the staff as well as a senior defensive assistant.
As for who ends up as the starters in Week 1 of the regular season, that’s up in the air at this point. But the decisions the Cowboys made - and perhaps more importantly the ones they didn’t make - have given us a pretty clear picture as to what we can expect, schematically speaking, from this new-look defense.
Fifteen things we learned about the Dallas Cowboys during this year’s NFL Draft - Jon Machota, The Athletic
FIFTEEN things we learned about the Cowboys during the draft.
7.) Aggressive, long corners. The Cowboys were clearly emphasizing these two things when looking to improve on the back end of their defense. Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson II are both 6-1, 205. Diggs had three interceptions and eight pass breakups in his final college season. Robinson had four interceptions and 13 pass breakups.
“Really good athletes, long, the type of corners we’re looking for, big bodies that can run,” Cowboys assistant defensive backs coach Al Harris said of Diggs and Robinson on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM). “I’m a fan of the bigger guys. If you look at the receiver trends, they’re not getting smaller. They’re getting bigger and faster.”
Everson Griffen among 4 vet free agents for the Cowboys to consider - Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Wire
Sticking with the defensive theme, should the Cowboys call Everson Griffin to help at EDGE?
Although the team drafted Utah’s Bradlee Anae, they still need edge help at defensive end. Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory are not guaranteed reinstatement, and both have had significant time away from the game in the past few years so it would be wise for the Cowboys to protect themselves with another pass rusher.
The defense could use the eight sacks Griffen accumulated last season and his connection to senior defensive assistant George Edwards remains a valuable connection. A team can never have enough pass rushers.
NFL Draft 2020: Reviewing This Year’s Biggest Steals, Reaches and Surprises - Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report
A call for Lamb as one of the steals of the draft.
Steal: Dallas Cowboys Take CeeDee Lamb at No. 17
When you walk into the draft with the 17th pick, you likely won’t get the sixth-rated player on your big board without trading up. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when the Dallas Cowboys took CeeDee Lamb.
Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged the Cowboys were on the receiving end of multiple calls to trade back but couldn’t turn down the opportunity to add the explosive Oklahoma receiver.
“Lamb prevailed,” Jones said, per Todd Archer of ESPN. “We just didn’t want to miss him. Those trades ultimately are supposed to add another player to be valuable, but we couldn’t trump him. He was just there. He’s a football player. He’s a playmaker. He just earned it.”
Henry Ruggs III has the speed. Jerry Jeudy has the polish. Lamb has a little bit of everything and could easily wind up as WR1 in a class that has been lauded for its depth and quality.
Lamb was a much more productive player than Ruggs. He had 173 catches, 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons in Norman and is a little more versatile than Jeudy.
Lamb has the physical tools to be a key part of the Cowboys offense early on and the long-term potential to become Dak Prescott’s No. 1 target even with Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup on the roster.
The NFL undrafted free agents we’re most excited about in 2020 - Christian D’Andrea, Morgan Moriarty, and Adam Stites, SB Nation
Keep your eyes on this UDFA.
Aaron Parker, WR, Rhode Island
Signed with: Dallas CowboysParker’s cousin, Isaiah Coulter, became the first URI player drafted since 1986 when the Texans selected him in the fifth round. While Coulter has tremendous potential, he wasn’t the Rams’ most productive wideout.
That honor goes to Parker, who led the Rams in receiving yards all four years he played in Kingston. Though the 6’2 wideout may not have the NFL potential that helped Coulter become a Day 3 pick, he was a beast for Rhode Island. He led the CAA — one of FCS’ top conferences — in most receiving categories last fall.
He won’t challenge the top of the Cowboys’ depth chart, but he has a chance to catch on if he brings that level of production to Dallas this offseason.
Dissecting DiNucci: Cowboys Find a Controlled Play-maker to Backup Dak Prescott - Dalton Miller, Blue Chip Scouting
Dalton dives into the film to see what the Cowboys are getting in seventh-rounder Ben DiNucci.
If anything, the Dallas Cowboys just found a guy who is probably going to wow us in August during camp and the preseason just enough to bring the ridiculousness of Twitter to claim him a better option than franchise quarterback Rayne Dakota Prescott. Hopefullyh he can perform well enough to become an established and adequate backup. Hopefully he shines enough in limited action to bring some value in a trade in the future. Hopefully, because once again, Prescott is a franchise quarterback, DiNucci never has to play meaningful snaps.
But if he does, he might just be okay.
*heavy breathing*
— Dalton Miller (@DaltonBMiller) April 26, 2020
3rd-and-18. 3rd quarter down 17-24. This play comes after a missed facemask he took on a sack and then a false start. He's PISSED before this play.
ENJOY!!!! pic.twitter.com/OiyXdhNzDy
Dallas Cowboys 2020 NFL Draft Class Recap - Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network
Crabbs recaps the 2020 Dallas Cowboys draft class over at The Draft Network.
DAY 3 SLEEPER: BRADLEE ANAE
The Cowboys’ draft class is loaded with strong players, although some of them do have questions. Of their Day 3 picks, Anae has a nice chance to make an impact. He’s not a high-end special team player, but he’ll offer Dallas rotational pass rush value thanks to his excellent hand usage and adequate burst off the edge. Anae will not have a large margin for error as a rusher due to his lack of length, but he’s polished in winning with counters entering the league and could be a nice supplemental piece.
BTB Podcast
We broke down every single Dallas Cowboys draft pick in great detail on the latest episode of Talkin’ The Draft.
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