The Dallas Cowboys have several potential impact rookies in 2020. CeeDee Lamb fell to the Cowboys at 17 in the first round and will instantly give the team a dynamic trio at receiver holding down the slot alongside Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Trevon Diggs, a long and athletic corner, has a great shot to start right out of the gate. However, third-round selection Neville Gallimore is another young stud that gives the Cowboys a plug on the defensive interior which they’ve needed for years.
The former Oklahoma Sooner talked to the Dallas media after being drafted about what he brings to the table and how he feels the best is yet to come in his football career.
“A high-effort guy. A guy with the jack-of-all-trades. A guy that’s also disruptive and can rush the passer or a guy that can stop the run,” Gallimore said, describing himself. “Whatever you need, whatever you want from me, I will do just that and I’ll do it to the best of my abilities. And how I kind of describe myself, again, is an unfinished process. I feel like a lot of people understand that my ceiling is so high, and I know that. Again, the best football hasn’t come out of me yet, but it’s coming. It’s coming soon.”
Gallimore is coming off of a very productive season in 2019. His four sacks and 32 quarterback pressures were both career highs for him at Oklahoma. Another encouraging nugget is that Gallimore forced four fumbles over his final two collegiate seasons. For a Cowboys defense that has lacked the ability to create turnovers for years, this seems like the perfect marriage.
At the NFL Draft, Gallimore ran a 4.79 in the 40-yard dash which is insane for a man 6’2 and 304 pounds. He can use that speed combined with his power to get into the backfield up the middle which is where quarterbacks hate getting pressure from the most. His versatility is what will get him a lot of playing time early considering he can be disruptive from the 1-technique or the 3-technique, making him a perfect fit to rotate with veteran free-agent additions Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe.
The Cowboys have desperately been trying to solve a long going issue on the defensive interior. McCoy and Poe may get the most recognition, but adding Gallimore could make this once problem area a strength for the Cowboys defense.
