Quick, off the top of your head name a player currently in the NFL who played collegiately at the University of Kansas! Can you? Well, the Dallas Cowboys have two former Kansas Jayhawks, Dorance Armstrong and Daniel Wise, and both of them are starting to open some eyes in the first week of training camp practices.
The word coming out of training camp is Dorance Armstrong and Daniel Wise, former teammates at Kansas, are both making a positive impression on the Cowboys coaching staff so far in the first week of camp. It’s still pretty early to get too excited about this, but the more they can stand out now the better their chances are of making the final 53-man roster.
Here’s what Dallas Cowboys Staff Writer Bryan Broaddus had to say about Defensive Tackle Daniel Wise:
“I continue to see good things from Daniel Wise. Not only does this guy beat blockers at the point in the run game, but he affects the quarterback as well in the pocket. He’s been able to carry things over from OTA’s and minicamp to hear in Oxnard. But I will say that I am still waiting for the coaches to give him more of an opportunity to work against blockers that might be better than him. He fights really well in his weight class, so maybe that will happen sooner rather than later. His quickness and explosiveness have been impressive since arriving from Kansas.”
Daniel Wise, an undrafted free agent in 2019, is currently a long shot to make the Dallas Cowboys final 53-man roster. But if he can continue to stand out against whoever he’s battling against it could go a long ways in convincing the coaching staff to keep him around. The Cowboys defensive line could use more disruptive playmakers, and so far it sounds as if Wise could fit the bill.
I’ll personally be keeping a close eye on Daniel Wise (#64) from now on, but it’s Dorance Armstrong (# 92) who I believe could be more of a factor for the Dallas Cowboys this season, and I’ll tell you why.
But first, here’s what Bryan Broaddus had to say about Defensive End Dorance Armstrong:
“I liked the power that Dorance Armstrong showed in the 1-on-1 pass rush drills. Armstrong was on Cam Fleming before he had a chance to get out of his stance. As Fleming was retreating into his set, Armstrong was able to take his left hand and drive it into Fleming’s chest, driving him back. Fleming was never able to recover and Armstrong would have gotten the sack. Armstrong has been filling in for DeMarcus Lawrence during OTA’s and minicamp and has carried himself well.”
I really can’t put into words how giddy this makes me. I was a pretty big fan of Armstrong’s coming out of Kansas a year ago because he reminded me a lot of DeMarcus Lawrence, who is currently filling in for at LDE. I know it sounds like a stretch to compare the two, but if you look at their measurables they’re nearly a mirror image of one another.
| Dorance Armstrong | DeMarcus Lawrence | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurable | Measurement | Measurable | Measurement | |
| Height | 6’3 5/8″ | Height | 6’3″ | |
| Weight | 257 | Weight | 251 | |
| Arm Length | 31 3/4″ | Arm Length | 33 3/4″ | |
| Hand Size | 10″ | Hand Size | 11″ | |
| 40 Yard Dash | 4.87 | 40 Yard Dash | 4.8 | |
| Vertical Jump | 30″ | Vertical Jump | 34 1/2″ | |
| Broad Jump | 118″ | Broad Jump | 113″ | |
| 3-Cone Drill | 7.12 | 3-Cone Drill | 7.46 | |
| 20 Yard Shuffle | 4.23 | 20 Yard Shuffle | 4.31 | |
| Bench Press | 20 reps | Bench Press | 20 reps | |
I know measurable’s are one thing and production is another, but if the Dallas Cowboys were trying to clone DeMarcus Lawrence they’d have been hard-pressed to do better than Dorance Armstrong. I’m hoping he can turn into something special as well, which is why I’m so giddy he’s standing out during Lawrence’s absence.
There’s still a lot of training camp and preseason to go, but maybe Dorance Armstrong and Daniel Wise can change the way we think about the Kansas Jayhawks football program. The Dallas Cowboys I’m sure wouldn’t complain at all if that ends up being the case.
