Dallas Cowboys address pass rush and wide receiver needs on Day 2 of NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2022 NFL Draft claiming they had no must haves.
But they did have obvious positions that could use an influx in talent.
After filling a need on the offensive line with Tulsa tackle Tyler Smith with the 24th pick in the first round, the Dallas Cowboys turned their attention to shoring up holes at pass rusher and receiver in the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft Friday night.
With 56th overall pick, the Cowboys selected took Mississippi linebacker/edge rusher Sam Williams before getting South Alabama receiver Jalen Tolbert with the 88th pick in the third round.
All three will be immediate contribitors with Smith competing for a starting job at left guard.
Williams is an ideal 4-3 end who will combine with free agent signee Dante Fowler to help make up for the loss of Randy Gregory in free agency.
The Cowboys are hoping the explosive and athletic Tolbert can bolster a receiver corps that lost Amari Cooper in a trade to the Cleveland Browns and Cedrick Wilson to the Miami Dolphins in free agency.
“Those were areas we could use help,” vice president Stephen Jones. “I wouldn’t call them musts but we felt we could use help in those areas. It has fallen right for us. We have improved our football team.”
Williams is a first-round talent who likely dropped to the second round because of character concerns.
At 6-foot-4, 261 pounds, Williams is extremely athletic for a pass-rusher, including his 4.46 time in the 40 and a 36-inch vertical leap.
He was briefly suspended in the summer of 2020 following an arrest related to a sexual battery charge that was dropped two months later, allowing him to return to the team.
Williams had six starts in 2020 before blowing up in 2021 with 57 tackles, 15 tackles for losses and a school-record 12.5 sacks. He was a first-team All-SEC selection.
Williams said the 2020 arrest came up during the pre-draft process with teams. He says it damaged his reputation but he maintains his innocence and is looking for a fresh start.
“It was the past,” Williams said. “Obviously, I didn’t do anything. It’s a new life and a new start ahead of me in a new area with great coaches and teammates. I got another shot at life. That is not me. That is not the person I am. I am ready to go to work. I just think about what is next.”
The Cowboys spent a lot of time with Williams during the pre-draft process, bringing him in for a visit at the team’s headquarters and going to his pro day at Mississippi.
They did their homework and were comfortable taking him.
“He is a terrific player,” owner Jerry Jones said. “He has a lot of energy and a lot of personality. He brings a lot to the table. We spent a lot of time with him and had a keen interest in him because of his skills as a pass rusher. That is a premium.
“We thoroughly investigated the allegations. We spent time talking to lot of people and were completely satisfied he was within our comfort level.”
Coach Mike McCarthy said there are no questions about Williams a football player and they are lucky to get him in the second round.
Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn worked him out and Jerry Jones told Williams they wanted to pair him with 2021 first-round pick Micah Parsons, who was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
“[Jerry Jones] wants me to be myself,” Williams said. “That is why he drafted me. He wants Micah Parsons and Sam Williams on the field.”
So what kind of player are the Cowboys getting in Williams?
“I am relentless,” Williams said. “I am a beast. I am a dog. They are going to get a player who loves the game who is ready to do his job. I can talk about it but i am ready to show it.”
Tolbert is highlight waiting to happen at receiver.
He was named the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year and first-team all-league after setting school records with 82 receptions and eight touchdowns in 12 starts. Tolbert ranked sixth in the FBS with 1,474 receiving yards (18.0 per rec.) and also set school career records with 178 receptions and 3,140 receiving yards.
At 6-1 1/8, 194 pounds, Tolbert is big, physical and sudden with a time of 4.49. He has the long speed to take the top off the defense as well as the athleticism to make acrobatic catches in coverage.
With Michael Gallup expected to miss the first three games recovering from a torn ACL, the Cowboys will need Tolbert to make an immediate impact in the three-receiver set with CeeDee Lamb and free-agent signee James Washington.
“I bring versatility,” Tobert said. “One of my strengths is high-pointing and catching the ball away from my body. I’m excited to continue to improve in every aspect as a wide receiver.”
His being drafted by Cowboys was almost ordained.
Tolbert had a private workout with Cowboys receivers coach Robert Prince a couple weeks after his South Alabama pro day. He asked Prince what he can work on. Tolbert says Prince told him, “I’ll tell you that when we make you a Cowboy.”
And then couple of days before the draft, he got a surprise phone call from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
They talked his relationship with quarterbacks, routes and positions he could play. He called it a “surreal moment” having Prescott calling him to talk Xs & Os.
He felt that was a good omen for him coming to the Cowboys.
“I thought it was a random call … “And he was like, ‘Hey, Jalen, this is Dak Prescott.’ And I was like, ‘What?!’,” Tolbert recalled. “We had a pretty good conversation, and I enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to getting to work with him.”
“I had a feeling. I just didn’t know when. I am glad to be a Cowboy. The Cowboys came through, and I can’t wait to come down there and come through for them.”
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 8:07 PM.
