May 5, 2021
FRISCO - On a November night in Philadelphia in 2018, the Dallas Cowboys seemed set for life. Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz tried to trick their defense, attempting a naked bootleg from inside Dallas’ 10. But Leighton Vander Esch was too smart; Jaylon Smith too fast. Not only did Wentz not score, the linebackers didn’t allow him to make it back to the line of scrimmage. “Wow! is the only way to describe this!” crowed NBC
Sunday Night Football analyst Cris Collinsworth during the replay. “There’s the speed – sideline to sideline – of these linebackers. They’re good. They’re young. Scary. NFC East quarterbacks are going to have fits dealing with this duo for a long time.”
Hidden gems: Cowboys’ draft history of diamonds in the rough
Talent isn t always found at the top of the totem pole.
Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL draft is one epic saga of surprise-riddled revelations. Aside from the event’s first few selections, fans can hardly construct accurate predictions of what’s going to happen at any given moment. And oftentimes, big boards will undergo tremendous shakeups as “best available” prospects begin to slide down the ladder, and lesser-heralded prospects find themselves in precarious positions they couldn’t have dreamt of heading into the event.
Every year, certain underrated novices burst onto the scene with shocking displays of brilliance that even the best scouts in the business couldn’t have foreseen. The Cowboys have had more than their fair share of players who fit into this category.