Cowboys assembling the Voltron of defensive ends

The addition of Gary is fine, but where’s that lightning-fast pass rush going to come from? We’re glad you asked because that brings us to Central Florida’s Malachi Lawrence, the team’s 23rd overall pick this year. Lawrence is a pass rusher who is all about sudden explosiveness. He has an explosive first step and brings a deep bag of pass-rushing moves to the field. He isn’t very bendy, but he surprisingly does a good job of flattening his angle to the quarterback, scrapping his way around the edge with pure peskiness. With his long arms and excellent hand usage, he will give offensive tackles fits on passing downs.

But the Cowboys weren’t done. In the third round of the draft, the front office scooped up Michigan tweener Jaishawn Barham. Last year, he was attacking the quarterback, but before that, he was hanging back a little and chasing down anything that moved. Barham is dynamic and highly explosive with great length that allows him to turn incredibly sharp corners on his way to the backfield. He is a physical defender who offers the flexibility to play as an off-ball linebacker or an edge pass rusher. He plays with a wild, high-energy style that makes him incredibly disruptive to whatever the offense is trying to accomplish.

Finally, the Cowboys added even more muscle in the fourth round by drafting Alabama defensive end LT Overton. If Lawrence is the race car and Barham is the demolition derby car, then Overton is the monster truck. He plays with a wide base and incredibly heavy hands that make him a dominant, stout run stopper. Overton brings raw power and relentless fight, creating devastating bull rushes. He has great balance, long arms, and plenty of experience playing all across the defensive line.

The Cowboys now have a player for every single defensive end flavor you could possibly want. Sure, it might take a combination of four different players to replicate the vast array of skills that walked out the door with Parsons, but this team finally has some serious weaponry to work with. It is going to be fun watching the coaching staff mix and match these new pieces to create headaches for the rest of the league. Get excited, Cowboys’ fans, because this new look defensive line offers some intriguing upside.