The Dallas Cowboys have selected Western Michigan edge Marshawn Kneeland with the 56th pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Let me be very clear and say the Dallas Cowboys had much bigger needs than drafting an edge from Western Michigan.
The problem I have is that if the season started tomorrow, he wouldn’t even start, like why not draft a player you can use now??
With the 56th overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys go defense, and select DE Marshawn Kneeland out of Western Michigan.
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy) pic.twitter.com/gPe1o7ws2a
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) April 27, 2024
From what I have seen on Twitter, people say he can play and is a decent player, but really?
After Edgerrin Cooper, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and Jonathan Brooks all went just a handful of picks before Dallas was on the clock, it trimmed the Cowboy’s big board down a bit.
Since I know most of you have no idea who this kid is let me just give you a bit of a run down.
He is 6-foot-3 and 267 pounds, Kneeland checks the box on size.
He’s not a great athlete (4.75 in the 40), which means he never had great production (4.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for losses in 2023). But he is tough and plays hard.
Mike Zimmer will probably get the best out of him on defense, but man you cannot tell me you couldn’t have taken either Trey Benson or someone else that is NFL-ready today?
I don’t agree with the pick regardless if he was one of the best overall guys on the board or not.
You have to move off that and go with a position of need. Sam Williams is around still for edge depth, but you have no linebackers or a running back.
Could have gotten either or at a better value at that pick than what you just got with Kneeland.
Marshawn Kneeland had a 99 percentile run stop % since 2022 via @PFF
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 27, 2024
Who Is Next?
The Cowboy’s next two picks don’t come until the third round, and by the time they get there, they won’t have a good enough linebacker or running back on the board, I think they really messed this one up.
Hope I am wrong.
