With their last two fifth-round picks, the Dallas Cowboys went all-in on defense and selected LSU LB Damone Clark with Pick 176 and Arkansas Defensive Tackle John Ridgeway at Pick 178. Starting with Clark, the need for a linebacker wasn’t high on the team’s needs, but with LB Leighton Vander Esch on a one-year deal and LB Jabril Cox coming off an ACL injury, an LB prospect made sense.
Although it was reported Clark is likely to miss his rookie season to recover from a herniated disk, Clark was regarded as one of the Top LBs in the draft, and the franchise can potentially land a late-round steal.
Shifting to Ridgeway, the Cowboys are adding another big human to their defensive line, and given their run defense was a weakness– Ridgeway provides great depth. With Ridgeway, you won’t get a player who will rush the QB, but he can eat up space in the run game for your defense.
Check out the reactions we saw from both of the picks below:
