The trenches are the most important area to dominate in football. If you control the line of scrimmage you’ll more than likely be in the winner’s circle.
The Cowboys have several holes to fill on the roster before the 2020 season rolls around. One of the most glaring needs is at defensive tackle. The two biggest names in the draft, Auburn’s Derrick Brown and South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw, more than likely won’t drop to the Cowboys at 17. However, there are some interesting names that are flying under the radar and LSU’s Rashard Lawrence is one of them.
As a freshman in 2016, he appeared in nine games and totaled six tackles and a sack. A year later in his sophomore season, Lawrence became a starter, and even though he missed some time with ankle injuries, he made 10 starts and registered 32 tackles (3.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and a pass defended. In his junior campaign, Lawrence started all 13 games and had arguably the season of his collegiate career with 54 tackles (10 for loss), four sacks and three passes defended. He would miss spring drills after having knee surgery and be sidelined with an ankle injury during his senior season. However, he appeared in 12 games (11 starts) and tallied 28 tackles (6 for loss), 2.5 sacks, three passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He would be named Second-Team All-SEC and help LSU win the 2019 CFP National Championship.
Watch “Rashard Lawrence (DL) 2018 Season Highlights – LSU Football” on YouTube
https://youtu.be/-kINjLn1KTw
Lawrence isn’t going to come in and give you double-digit sacks or anything but he brings value along the defensive front. Primarily he was an inside rusher at LSU but he also played some defensive end which shows his versatility. He plays with an attitude and it trickles down to his teammates. He’s a leader and that’s exactly what you want in your locker room.
Scouting report according to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein
Maliek Collins is set to hit free agency and will likely receive a bigger payday somewhere else. Michael Bennett, Kerry Hyder, and Christian Convington all played along with the interior in 2019 and will also be hitting the open market. Last year’s second-round pick Trysten Hill is still a raw talent that needs to be polished. The injury history might cause some concern, but Lawrence would be a very nice rotational piece on the defensive line for the Cowboys that they could snatch on day 2-3 of the draft.
