Cowboys 2018 draft: Why Dallas picked Dorance Armstrong in the fourth round

Do it all linebacker...check!

Versatile offensive linemen...check!

Complete package wide receiver...check!

The Cowboys have done a great job addressing needs, so what’s next for the team? Well, how about an edge rusher with some exciting upside?

With the 116th pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected Dorance Armstrong Jr. from Kansas. Armstrong is a Rod Marinelli kind of guy. Playing on a horrible Kansas team (3-33 over the last three seasons), Armstrong was disruptive on the edge. He’s got long arms and shows good balance to bend around the edge. He’s got great hands and demonstrates good technique to get off blocks. He’s a hustle guy who gets after the football and is instinctive to track the ball efficiently. You won’t find him standing around as he plays with a high motor from start to finish. Armstrong is a “right kind of guy” who is a team captain and can be counted on as has played in all 36 games over the last three years.

Armstrong is a work in progress player, but that is what they should be looking for this late in the draft. But he’s on the rise. He’s a little undersized and his 2017 production has allowed him to fall, but he’s a great player for the team to keep in their pocket.

John McCarty from Arrowhead Addict provides a nice overview of what you’ll get with Armstrong:

What kind of player is Dorance Armstrong?

The talk has been what kind of system does he fit in and what can he do depending on scheme. He’s an edge rusher that learned to play the run better as his career progressed. Any team would be getting a player who can still develop and is a quality person.

What do you believe to be Armstrong’s strengths?

His ability to come off the edge is his biggest strength. He has a good motor and made several plays where he came from the back side after initially being blocked.

Conversely, what does Armstrong need to work on?

One of the areas he improved a lot was adding weight. I don’t know how much bigger he can get but getting the extra strength to handle NFL tackles will help. Early in his career one of the weaknesses was playing the run but that improved over the last two years. He will have to get in a system that plays to his strengths out on the perimeter.

What kind of person was Armstrong in the locker room and off the field?

Having interviewed him since he was a high school recruit coming out of Houston, he always came across as a high-character person. He was always polite and handled the interview process well.

We also have this tweet regarding Dane Brugler’s evaluation.

Highlights

The Cowboys war room was jumping around when he was still available, but what do you think about this pick?