AT&T Stadium — Starting the final day of the 2018 NFL Draft with seven total selections, and two in the recently concluded fourth round, the Dallas Cowboys have done an outstanding job of finding young players ready to contribute this season and beyond. It is hard not to get excited about the total youth movement the Cowboys are going through, with last year’s draft class overhauling the defense and today’s 116th overall pick adding depth at defensive end in Kansas’ Dorance Armstrong.
As they were able to do at 50th overall with Connor Williams, the Cowboys then waited to address their need at TE with Stanford’s Dalton Schultz coming to Dallas at 137th overall.
Go all the way back to Leighton Vander Esch as the Cowboys first pick during an electric opening round on Thursday, and the Cowboys are finding blue chip prospects with adequate floors but even higher ceilings.
This is a team looking to win now, but also build a sustainable future of success for a young roster still led by a QB on his rookie contract. Their most recent pick will give Dak Prescott a consistent target to hit at TE, with Jason Witten retiring and one of his many idols — Dalton Shultz — stepping in.
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Schultz comes from a pro style offense at Stanford, where the Cardinal used him similarly to how the Cowboys line up their tight ends. Doing so with only Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin on the roster was not a feasible option in Dallas, and Schultz is close to a finished product as a balanced athlete in blocking and receiving.
Going back now to the Cowboys first pick of the fourth round, they added another patented Rod Marinelli pass rusher with Dorance Armstrong.
Joining Taco Charlton, Tyrone Crawford, Kony Ealy, and Charles Tapper as depth on the defensive line for the Cowboys, Armstrong helps this team build an incredibly strong rotation of ends for Marinelli to deploy.
When called upon, Armstrong will anchor the point of attack with above average play strength and can make quick work of blockers using his length and speed.
For as heavily criticized as the Cowboys were for not shaking up the structure of their organization following a 9-7 season, it is pretty special for Cowboys Nation to witness them execute a solid draft strategy through four of ten picks so far.
This youth movement, and drive back towards the playoffs, is just getting started here in Dallas for a Cowboys team that is already better than they were at any point in 2017 – particularly on defense. My coverage from the final day of the 2018 NFL Draft continues live from AT&T Stadium today here at Inside The Star!
