Cowboys draft Marshawn Kneeland: Dallas sees ‘similarities’ between No. 56 pick, DeMarcus Lawrence

FRISCO, Texas —  The Dallas Cowboys and their first spherical choose (twenty ninth general) Tyler Guyton had eyes for one another seemingly all the draft course of. 

That was not the case for his or her second-round choose, Western Michigan defensive Marshawn Kneeland, the 56th general choice within the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Kneeland categorized his degree of communication with the Cowboys main as much as his second-round choice, 56th general as “respectable.” The fifth-year senior, who’s 6-foot-3, 267 kilos with 34 1/4-inch arms and a 4.75 40-yard sprint, possesses the best construct for an NFL edge rusher. Dallas’ entrance workplace sees a whole lot of their very own four-time Professional Bowl edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence in Kneeland, which is a few lofty reward.

“The primary factor about him is the excessive effort and motor that he performs with,” Cowboys VP of Participant Personnel Will McClay stated Friday night time. “Then to be gifted, bodily gifted sufficient to play at this degree. We seen him early on. [Brett] Maxie is the world scout who introduced him to our consideration early, and the extra you watched him, the extra you see NFL traits and the traits that we’re searching for on the defensive aspect; enjoying arduous on a regular basis and being able to hurry the passer inside and outside. We have talked about it earlier than, as arduous as DLaw [DeMarcus Lawrence] performed at Boise State, there are some similarities there. That’s what we thought of him.”

An off-the-cuff go to on the NFL Scouting Mix and a Zoom name made up all of his communication with Dallas through the pre-draft course of. Kneeland had a brief and candy reply when requested if he was shocked to obtain the draft night time name from the Cowboys.

“Sure,” Kneeland stated with fun on a convention name with native media. 

Nevertheless, as soon as the shock pale for the 2023 Second-Group All-Mac choice, pleasure kicked in.

“Excited, undoubtedly excited,” Kneeland stated. “Stunned as a result of clearly it is at all times a shock. You are like ‘whoa, I simply acquired picked.’ [I’m] Simply excited. Simply comfortable to be right here.”

He’s now set to affix the NFL’s high cross rush (45% quarterback strain fee in 2023), led by three-time All-Professional Micah Parsons who totaled a league-best 103 quarterback pressures final season. 

“Very excited, glad to have the ability to go there and get to work with some clearly gifted, hard-working guys, and I am going to have the ability to go and develop and do what I can to influence the staff,” Kneeland stated.

“We did not particularly go over it an excessive amount of,” Kneeland stated when requested if head coach Mike McCarthy or normal supervisor Jerry Jones talked about what his position in Dallas can be. “I am assuming most likely line of defense; transfer round there. Wherever they want me.”

Kneeled was near transferring to Colorado for his fifth 12 months of school soccer, however he returned to Western Michigan after the staff’s director of energy and conditioning, Grant Geib, and assistant energy and conditioning coach Kyle Murray have been retained in Kalamazoo. The loyal cross rusher described his type of play as “violent, bodily, excessive motor, excessive motor, excessive effort.” The Cowboys concurred, which is why they drafted him. 

“The factor that attracted us to D-Legislation [DeMarcus Lawrence] again when he was popping out [in 2014] was the unbelievable effort that he performed was that very same effort that you simply see on Sundays now nonetheless, after as a few years as he performed. That exhibits he loves the sport. When that draws you, it is one thing that you simply put in your rolodex and go if I see that, I do know what it seems like and what it could actually do. Simply watching him play, he is bouncing off of individuals and he is chasing screens down. All of these issues are a number of the issues that D-Legislation [DeMarcus Lawrence] did when he was at Boise State. Plus, there’s rush upside, there’s the flexibility to play outdoors and controlling the C hole and the frenzy ends. There’s a whole lot of issues which you could depend on as a result of that motor is at all times going to be there.”

Now, the participant Cowboys hope might be DeMarcus Lawrence 2.0 will get to spend his rookie 12 months with the all-star, unique model.

“I imply there’s nothing like veteran management and veteran management carries you a lot additional than you’ve got ever been,” Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stated. “I feel that is a extremely robust point of interest for us. We’ve got the rookie orientation right here in two weeks. We spend a whole lot of time simply guarantee that the rookies are able to be acclimated to the environment and the way we do issues. From the day they stroll in there with the veterans on that Monday, that is the most important door that they will stroll by means of. The connection that they will have with the locker room. Sure, undoubtedly. To have the D-Legislation’s … On the opposite aspect of it, speaking to [Cowboys first-round pick] Tyler [Guyton] earlier than the press convention this morning, the flexibility to have the ability to sit subsequent to Zack Martin and Tyler Smith to ask these questions. There’s nothing like veteran management, and I feel we have now an unbelievable group to guide them.”