Two weeks remain in the 2017 season, but the Dallas Cowboys should be preparing for the 2018 NFL Draft and that means looking hard at Christian Wilkins.
The Dallas Cowboys have had some nice play from some of their defensive linemen this season. But in the interior of line could use more depth and top-tier talent. The player who could be targeted in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft to address that is Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins.
When watching film on Wilkins (6-4, 310 pounds), the first noticeable thing is he brings a presence to the defensive line and on many plays draws a double team. Plus, if an offensive lineman doesn’t stay on him for the conclusion of the play, Wilkins will keep looking for the football.
That is a player the defense of the Cowboys needs to add to their rotation of defensive tackles. The more a player with the abilities of Wilkins are in that rotation of defensive linemen for the Cowboys, the better the rest of the defense can play up to their abilities.
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In Wilkins’ junior season, he’s put up some very nice numbers for the Tigers, finishing with 52 tackles and 4.5 sacks during the regular season, and still has at least one more game this season in the College Football Playoff semifinals against Alabama on New Year’s Day.
However, Wilkins has already given many a reason to believe he’ll not only be a first-round pick when the 2018 NFL Draft arrives, but some are projecting he’ll be drafted by the Cowboys when it is their time to make a selection.
Todd McShay of ESPN.com is one of the NFL Draft experts who believes Wilkins could be selected by the Cowboys, writing in his NFL Mock Draft 1.0 the following on the potential Wilkins could bring:
"“The Cowboys need to bolster the interior of that defensive line. Wilkins has experience both inside and outside on an outstanding Clemson D-line, but I believe his best fit is inside as a 3-technique.”"
Watching film of Wilkins against Auburn, it is easy to see at times the offensive line makes sure a player is with him at all times. But when he breaks free, he’s either making the tackle or be headed in the general direction of the ball carrier.
Last year, the Cowboys drafted Taco Charlton in the first round at defensive end with the 28th overall selection. In 2016, they drafted Maliek Collins (defensive tackle) and Charles Tapper (defensive end) in the third and fourth rounds. Before them, there was Randy Gregory drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and in 2014 Demarcus Lawrence was selected with the 34th overall pick.
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Out of all of those players, Charlton is still a work in progress, Collins and Tapper have had trouble staying healthy, Gregory has spent too many days being suspended and may never play for the franchise again and Lawrence is having a career year in 2017, but is a free agent once this season concludes.
David Irving is the best defensive tackle on the Cowboys, and when he plays he’s done well. However, he’s battling injuries down the stretch of the regular season and may not play again in Week 16 — not to mention his suspensions that he’s accrued.
This just shows not only is drafting defensive linemen early in the draft not a guarantee of great things, but it also shows that patience is a big factor in drafting defensive linemen, or it seems that way for the Cowboys.
Looking at Wilkins, his best game this season was a 10-tackle and 1.5-sack performance in the aforementioned Auburn game on Sept. 9. In two of the final four regular-season games this season, he totaled seven tackles and had at least a half-sack.
For his three-year career, Wilkins has totaled 133 tackles on the defensive line with 62 solo tackles. Of his overall total in tackles, 26.5 of them have been for a loss. In his career, Wilkins has also gained 10.5 sacks, 13 passes defended, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
The numbers are there for Wilkins. The film shows teams focus on him and many times take the play in a different direction. Whichever NFL team drafts him, they will get a very good quality player who will make noise in the interior defensive line, plus make life easier for his future teammates. The Cowboys really could use a player like that, but looking back at their draft history, the last defensive tackle they selected in the first round was Russell Maryland with the No. 1 overall pick in 1991.
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It will be very interesting to see how Wilkins wraps up the 2017 season. Though there is still a long time between now and the 2018 NFL Draft, it would be smart to just keep an eye on Wilkins and to take note of him and look to see how the Cowboys feel about taking a defensive tackle in the first round for the first time in 27 years.