Dallas Cowboys: Pre-Combine 7-round 2019 mock draft

Round 7, No. 219 overall: Bobby Okereke, LB, Stanford

With the 19th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Cowboys took Leighton Vander Esch out of Boise State. It wasn’t an incredibly popular pick at the time, especially with the team having a massive hole at wide receiver. However, LVE quickly became an impact player and proved the team knew exactly what they were doing.

NFL.com credited him with a team-high 140 tackles despite starting just 11 games as the coaches kept wanting to stick with Sean Lee. Second on the team in tackles was Jaylon Smith, who had 121 tackles. The two young linebackers proved to be studs — and are in the discussion for the best linebacker duo in the entire league.

As good as those two are, the Cowboys may need to add depth to the position. Lee will likely be released as Vander Esch has officially taken over his spot as the weakside linebacker and their starter on the strongside, Damien Wilson, is set for free agency. In search of some depth, they add Bobby Okereke out of Stanford.

Slightly undersized at 6-2 and 234-pounds, Okereke put up 88 tackles and four sacks in 2017 and another 94 and 3.5 in 2018 as a senior. He proved he was a savvy player that understood where to be at all times. However, his ability to get off blocks consistently is why he won’t come off the boards early.

Still, he has the ability to help as a special teams ace and is a strong player in pass coverage — which could come in handy in some sub packages.