The Dallas Cowboys are the only remaining team in the NFL yet to sign an outside free agent, turning their attention towards what should prove a memorable 2018 NFL Draft from AT&T Stadium. Without filling any roster holes with top FA talent, the Cowboys’ biggest loss of the offseason remains LB Anthony Hitchens – joining Matt Eberflus with the Colts.
The remaining market on free agent linebackers looks bleak, and without Eberflus on their sidelines the Cowboys may not feel as confident in their ability to acclimate newly acquired talent here. In search of another starter alongside Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith, the Cowboys will be hosting Alabama prospect Rashaan Evans for a pre-draft 30 visit.
Evans is just the latest Crimson Tide defender to rise up draft boards as a hard-hitting linebacker that plays as a magnet for the football. This is a player with the ceiling to potentially step in for Lee or Smith should he be called on early in his Cowboys career, along with the talent floor to blend in with this team’s projected starters at WILL and MIKE to add speed and tenacity to Rod Marinelli’s unit.
The jostling for quarterback prospects at the top of the draft has already begun, with as many as five quarterbacks coming off the board before Dallas picks at 19th overall. Already planning on addressing their offensive line depth in free agency, the chances of an impact defender sliding to the Cowboys are increasing.
While there is no denying that Evans’ presence would be felt from day one at The Star, I’ve already gone on record in naming him a “Player to Avoid at 19th Overall“.
“Depth can be found at LB throughout this 2018 class, making Roquan Smith and Tremaine Edmunds the only players I would consider with pick #19 at this position. Additionally, I’ve graded Evans as a third round player.”
Should Edmunds or Smith be the linebackers that the Cowboys are in position to draft, this conversation changes entirely. Unlike Evans, these two prospects would be the “best available players at a position of need” that the Cowboys could target in the first round.
Rashaan Evans undoubtedly benefited greatly from the talent level of his surrounding Alabama defense – which will send multiple starters to the NFL again this season. Making enough plays to certainly be one such starter, Evans may prove in a tough spot to grab for the Cowboys come draft time.
This won’t stop America’s Team from doing their due diligence on a prospect that could help take their defense to another level, particularly against the run. Evans is officially on the Dallas Cowboys’ radar, and could be their first LB selected in round one since Bobby Carpenter in 2006.
The Cowboys will also be meeting with Evans’ Alabama teammate Calvin Ridley. Amazingly, they have not selected any player out of Alabama since 2001 (Tony Dixon). Planning valuable meetings with the draft’s top receiver and one of its best linebackers gives SEC fans of the Cowboys hope that this streak will end next month.
