Dallas Cowboys: 5 best options in Round 1 of 2022 NFL Draft
By Randy Gurzi
Dallas Cowboys Round 1 option No. 2: Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia
Many of us — present company included — were eating crow when the Dallas Cowboys picked Micah Parsons last draft. It felt as though this team was full of linebackers and then they brought in another. But then, Parsons completely went off and recorded 13 sacks and ran away with the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Having said that, there’s no way they turn around and take another linebacker, right?
Well, it might not be so easy to say no. Not only did the play of Parsons prove a linebacker can be a difference-maker but the Cowboys are nowhere near as deep at the position as they were in 2021 when they took him at No. 12 overall.
During the season, Jaylon Smith was cut — which eliminated a huge hole in the middle of the defense. Now heading into this offseason, Keanu Neal and Leighton Vander Esch are free agents leaving Jabril Cox — coming off an injury — as the only other real potential starter on the team.
With that sudden need at the position, Dallas could be tempted to add Nakobe Dean at No. 24 from Georgia. Like Parsons, Dean is a player who could fly all over the field and would be a nightmare for opposing defenses to contend with. He could also help them move Parsons closer to the line to attack the quarterback more often, making him a very intriguing option.