Dallas Cowboys: 5 potential late-round DE sleepers

Jan 24, 2015; Mobile, AL, USA; North squad running back David Cobb of Minnesota (37) is tackled from behind by South squad outside linebacker Lynden Trail of Norfolk State (97) in the third quarter of the Senior Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The North won, 34-13. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

Lynden Trail
Norfolk State
6-7, 269 pounds
Senior

Anytime there is a player who is 6-7, 269 pounds who plays defensive end one must take a second look at him, and that’s what we have with Lynden Trail in the fifth round.

His 40-yard dash is under 5.0 seconds following both his combine results and pro day workout results, showing improvement from the combine of 4.91 to 4.86 at his pro day workout.

His vertical jump is 32.5, but when you are 6-7 just how how do you have to jump to begin with?

Dane Brugler of CBS Sports provided this information in his scouting report of Trail for CBSSports.com:

"“Plays mostly linebacker in Norfolk State’s 3-4 base scheme, but also has experience with his hand on the ground, which is likely his best NFL position … Trail is raw in some fundamental areas with his anticipation, hand use and point of attack power, but offers intriguing tools to develop and projects as an intriguing mid-to-late round investment.”"

If the Cowboys were to draft Trail there isn’t much reason to believe he’d be a starter right out of the gate, but he would be a nice project for them to groom. Maybe he could become a situational player for them, providing the Cowboys some needed depth at the position, because in recent seasons the Cowboys have had too many defensive line injuries to count.

The Cowboys have dome well in the past in selecting unknown defensive linemen to build depth at the position, so maybe they can grab a little bit of that 90s magic once again, and find another diamond in the rough to rebuilt a defensive line that could have had a better pass rush in recent seasons.

Next: Shaquille Riddick, West Virginia