FanPost

2014: The year we reach for a DT. (An early prospect analysis)

Jason Hatcher could be gone come next season.
The ONE playmaker on our defensive line this year is likely to walk, and our already weak defensive line will become even less capable of putting pressure on the QB.

That's reality. I know some people are talking Manziel or some other QB in the first round, but those people forget that we have a 100 million dollar quarterback who loves our franchise, will do anything to win, and has put up top 5 stats all-time. Anybody who thinks we are looking at any position other that DT with our first draft pick is thinking the wrong thing.

There is one problem though- there are very few DT's in this draft that are worthy of that first round designation.

Louis Nix
The hottest prospect is probably Louis Nix, from Notre Dame. I'm going to go ahead and label him Albert Haynesworth 2.0.
Louis Nix weighs somewhere around 340-350 lbs, depending on where you get your information. He's a nose tackle in Notre Dames 3-4 defense under defensive coordinator Bob Diaco.
This is the guy everyone is looking at in 2014, but he doesn't fit our scheme, started this season overweight, missed time last year with knee tendinitis, and will be getting knee surgery this offseason.

Ra'shede Hageman
This guy is the next best thing. He's not fluid, he's not intelligent in pursuit, but he is ~310lbs of lean muscle and power. He is not your typical "fat" defensive lineman. He looks more like Tyron Smith than Albert Haynesworth. He could play either DT position on our line, and has moved around some at Minnesota. He is being called a "boom or bust" prospect because of his poor pursuit and lack of experience. He may be our best shot at a true first round DT.

After Hageman, the quality of the prospect really drops off. Candidates for the second round(hey, these are very very early predictions, things will change after the combine, so take this with a grain of salt) include Will Sutton, Ego Ferguson, DaQuan Jones, Timmy Jernigan, Aaron Donald.

My honest opinion is that Dallas should not draft in the first round. Unless we want to get a first round tight end to compliment the trifecta, if we want to meet our needs at DT we can do it in the second round, and have an extra pick later in the draft.

Maybe Johnny Manziel will fall into our lap and we can give up our slot to a desperate Philidelphia after Foles is injured in the 2013 playoffs.

Serious recommendation: Trade down. Get picks. Get a DE to go with the shiny new DT.

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