The Cowboys are on the clock for their final selection in this 2020 NFL Mock Draft. With this pick, they address their defensive line again with edge rusher James Smith-Williams from North Carolina State. At this point, the Cowboys are looking for players with something they can work with and try to develop — what a novel idea to use picks on project players in Round 7 and not Round 2 (see Trysten Hill).
Smith-Williams looks to have been carved out as a defensive end with his long arms that make him difficult to block. The problem is, he’s not incredibly consistent with those arms and needs to learn how to win more often in one-on-one battles.
That inconsistency showed as he entered 2018 with just one career sack and then broke out with 36 tackles and six sacks as a redshirt junior. Then when he returned for his senior season, he missed time and had just 20 tackles and one sack for the Wolf Pack.
For Dallas, he’s a late-round flier who will battle with players such as Joe Jackson, and Jalen Jelks for a spot on the team. He wouldn’t be much of a threat to players such as Kerry Hyder or Dorrance Armstrong as those two are in line to be the primary reserves behind DeMarcus Lawrence and hopefully Robert Quinn who is a free agent.
Of course, if Quinn is not retained, the Cowboys would likely turn to Tyrone Crawford once again to play the right defensive end position. Whatever ends up happening there, Smith-Williams might be a practice squad guy, but it’s worth taking a shot this late.