The Dallas Cowboys had a really good draft, and one guy that you all probably did not pay much attention to is a big run stuffer that they drafted in the 7th round over the weekend.
His name is Jay Toia, a three-year starting defensive tackle from UCLA. He is 6-foot-2, 342 pounds, but being drafted in the last round of the NFL draft normally means that you have a slim chance to be a solid player in the NFL.
It is not an end all, but the chances are just slim being selected in the last round of the NFL draft, but you never know until you see the player on the field.
What He Brings
Toia could be one of the building blocks to the Cowboys’ defensive front added in the draft alongside Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, a second round pick (No. 44 overall) who was projected as a first-round pick headed into the draft.
In 4 seasons at UCLA, Toia became a 3-year starter and finished his career with 90 tackles, 9 TFL and 3.0 sacks and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2024.
Toia briefly entered the transfer portal before his final season but ultimately decided to return to UCLA.
What are some #NFL players Jay Toia and Donovan Ezeiruaku model themselves after as they start their #Cowboys career:
“Vita Vea, Dexter Lawrence. “ – Toia
“Von Miller.” – Ezeiruaku pic.twitter.com/H27xcJSKm6
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) May 2, 2025
“Three-year starter with the build and mentality to play nose tackle in odd or even fronts,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote before the draft.
“Toia carries a girthy base and is heavy into first contact. He has the power to give good resistance against all forms of blocks that come his way … he’ll need to improve his block recognition and fine-tune his take-on to be his best version of a two-down run defender.”
We will see if he can be that guy, but I can promise you he can bring the same production that former first-round pick Mazi Smith has produced in the first two seasons.
The Cowboys defensive line is a bit of a mystery. We know what we have in Micah Parsons, OSA and Dante Fowler, but what are they going to get from the defensive tackles?
They need a guy like Toia to help stop the run. I have a feeling that this could be a big steal of the draft, or a guy that will be cut by the season opener if he can’t impress during the next few months.
Let’s see how the summer goes and if he can push around some of the first-team offensive lineman, then he may have a chacne to at least be a rotational player for a DL that needs some beef.
