Dallas Cowboys: 7-Round 2018 mock draft after free agency first wave

Round 2: Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech

This spot is the 50th overall selection in the NFL Draft, and for the Dallas Cowboys, this is where they need to add to the defensive line, especially in the interior defensive tackle spot on the depth chart as this pick could allow them to welcome Virginia Tech’s Tim Settle to the mix. 

Settle was graded at 5.9 by NFL.com, and being that he is 6-3 and 335 pounds, he’d give the Cowboys or any team that drafts him a big player to take up space on the defensive line as his skill would allow him to be a solid run stopper. 

The Cowboys currently have Maliek Collins and David Irving as their starting defensive tackles in Rod Maranelli’s 4-3 defense, but the tackle rotation needs more than just those two, bringing Settle to the mix. 

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Settle as a player who “has rare gifts for a big man with good mass, play strength, quickness, and agility.”

Any team would be happy to have a player who is described with those traits, and for the past four seasons, the Cowboys have drafted a defensive player in the second round. That trend began in 2014, and in two of the past four drafts, the Cowboys have doubled down on defense in the first two rounds. 

Don’t be surprised to see the Cowboys draft defense in this round, as it makes sense to add top-quality talent to spots of the defense that need more depth. If they can add another athletic player to the mix with a potential selection of Settle, then that would be the right move to make on Day 2 of the draft.