Dallas Cowboys: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft goes heavy on defense
By Randy Gurzi
Round 2, Pick 58: Zach Allen, DT, Boston College
Wanting someone to contribute right away, the Cowboys use their first pick on Zach Allen out of Boston College. While Allen was a defensive end for the Golden Eagles, he projects as a three-technique defensive tackle in Dallas, which is a massive need for them.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
To their credit, they filled this role nicely with a rotation of players in 2018 — which was necessary after David Irving became unreliable. Now with Irving gone, they can go out and replace the position completely. There’s a chance Tyrone Crawford could slide over from his defensive end spot, but doing so could hurt the depth there especially with Randy Gregory indefinitely suspended.
As for Allen, he wasn’t as highly-touted as his teammate Harold Landry, who was a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2018. Even so, he proved to be the more rounded player and even recorded 100 tackles in 2017.
A strong run-stuffer, Allen is also a player who can bring pressure after the quarterback. He had 16.5 sacks in the past three seasons, with 6.5 being his career-high last year. With DeMarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn on the edges, the sack totals won’t be where Allen defines his worth. Still, adding a guy who is an all-around talent that can bring some pressure up the middle is never a bad thing.
The Boston College product gives Dallas the most bang for their buck as he’s a starting-caliber player who may not do any one thing extraordinary, but he does everything well.