Unlike the shocking first-round choice of Tulsa left tackle Tyler Smith, almost every fan and scout who was paying attention knew Ole Miss edge rusher Sam Williams was going to be the Dallas Cowboys’ pick in the second round if available. He became the sixth pass rush prospect the Cowboys have taken in the top two rounds since 2014 joining Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, Taco Charlton, Trysten Hill, and Micah Parsons.
Williams was an incredibly productive player for Ole Miss collecting 32.5 tackles for a loss, 22.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in three seasons. As a senior he made first team all SEC, and third team All-American while breaking the Ole Miss single-season sack record.
On paper Williams is a dream pass rush prospect. At 6-foot-4 and 265-pounds and with a 33-inch arm length, he has the frame of an elite edge. Add a 4.46 40-yard dash, production in the SEC including great tape versus two top-ten-drafted OTs, and it’s a serious question as to why he fell to the middle of the second round. The answer is that there are questions to his character, based on a felony sexual battery arrest where the charges were later dropped. Also, his game did have holes in it, such as a lack of bend and questionable run-defense capabilities.
The Cowboys, in some eyes, took a risk selecting Williams in the second round, but a deep rotation of pass rushers has helped win a Super Bowl for other teams on many occasions. While not ready to be a starting edge setter currently, Dallas hopes Williams can help Parsons and Lawrence wreck offensive backfields on passing downs.
Here’s a look at the potential defensive line rotation for Dan Quinn to unleash on opposing quarterbacks this upcoming season.
Left Defensive End
1 Demarcus Lawrence
2 Tarell Basham
3 Sam Williams (R)
4 Markaviest Bryant (R – UDFA)
Right Defensive End
1 Dorance Armstrong
2 Dante Fowler Jr.
3 Chauncey Golston
4 Mika Tafua (R –…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Cowboys Wire…