Apparently the Dallas Cowboys will not be drafting Vita Vea or Da’Ron Payne in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. According to the Stephen Jones, it is unlikely that the team would consider a drafting a 1 technique defensive tackle unless they show some 3-technique traits**. This news is greatly disappointing to many Cowboy fans who share the opinion that the team’s front office needs to reconsider their philosophy on drafting nose tackles. While it is possible that the Cowboys could consider both of those players as potential 3-techniques, And, it is also possible that Stephen Jones is trying not to show his hand this early in the draft process, odds are that the Cowboys will not pull the trigger on one of those players if available at pick 19.
It is a complete mystery why the Dallas Cowboys would continue to be so stubborn with this flawed logic considering they have missed out on some big time players in the past like Derek Wolfe, Dontari Poe and A’Shawn Robinson. The Cowboys have been on such a mission to find their “war daddy” pass rusher that they have ignored the possibility that a dominant nose tackle could be the key ingredient to improve production for the entire defensive line.
It is as great a mystery that they continue to covet the three technique when they have a roster full of them already. They have recently paid Tyrone Crawford based on his success at that spot in 2014. Last season David Irving excelled at the position when he was inserted there and they plan to keep him in the mix as well. There is also the young and full of potential Lewis Neal and of course there is they guy who is in my opinion their best option, Maliek Collins. Before he suffered a foot injury that limited him and while David Irving was suspended for the first four games, Collins was on pace to finish the season with double digit sacks. Collins also played a huge role in the breakout season for DE Demarcus Lawrence who averaged 2 sacks/game when Maliek was at the 3 technique spot.
The 2018 draft is seemingly deep at the one technique position. So, if the Dallas Cowboys do avoid that position in the first round they may have an opportunity to get a solid player in the second or third round. But if you ask me, it would be foolish to let position bias allow this team to pass up on an elite player at the one technique if they become available when the Cowboys are on the clock.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
**From DallasCowboys.com News, Combine Central http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/2018/02/27/combine-stephen-jones-addresses-dez-meeting-irving%E2%80%99s-future-d-law-more