Cowboys 2020 Draft analysis: Dallas grabs “athletic marvel” Neville Gallimore in the third round

CeeDee Lamb received unanimous praise when the Cowboys grabbed the All-American wide receiver in the first round. Trevon Diggs was seen as excellent value for the Cowboys after the Cowboys selected the corner out of Alabama in the second.

What would the third round bring?

After going offense on the first night of the draft, Dallas has shifted its focus to the other side of the ball. The Cowboys added another player to Mike Nolan’s defensive unit, selecting Oklahoma Sooners defensive tackle Neville Gallimore with the 82nd pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Gallimore is one of the more athletic players at the defensive tackle position in this year’s draft class. The Oklahoma product was not the most productive player on the collegiate level, but he continuously showed flashes of making big players for the Sooners.

Gallimore was able to show off some of his athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine this past March, running a 4.79 40-yard dash at his 304 pounds. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranks Gallimore as the 70th best player in this draft class, making good value for the Cowboys at pick 82. Brugler notes that the former Sooner’s athleticism is attractive.

Gallimore is an athletic marvel for a 300-plus pounder with the rare motor and violent hands to make plays outside his square. His splash plays are some of the best snaps you will see at the position, but his college production doesn’t match up with his impressive power/athletic traits. Overall, Gallimore isn’t the most technically sound player, but he is an athletic, charged-up big man with the explosive hands to reset the line of scrimmage or pass off blocks on his way to the pocket, projecting as a three-technique with NFL starting potential.

Speaking about Gallimore’s athletic ability, the 6-foot-2, 300-pounder can dunk a basketball. Below is a video of him of doing just that:

The Ringer’s Danny Kelly is a little bit higher on Gallimore than Brugler, ranking the defensive tackle from Canada inside his top-50 prospects. Kelly says that it “looks like he’s playing at a different speed than anyone else in the trenches”.

Gallimore is a stout, powerful defensive lineman with long arms, tree trunks for legs, and the ability to line up at multiple spots on the interior. He plays with a low center of gravity and an energetic style that’s not only contagious for the whole defense, but makes me want to go run through a wall. The Canada native is an absurdly strong big man who reportedly bench presses 500 pounds, squats 800 pounds, and power cleans 405 pounds. He has incredible explosiveness as well as people-moving strength, and uncoils out of his stance to shoot gaps and power through the line. He’s developed effective rip, swim, and spin moves that regularly leave offensive linemen lunging for clouds of dust, and always keeps his feet and hands churning. Gallimore looks like he’s playing at a different speed than anyone in the trenches; he’s capable of chasing runs down the line and moves in space with ease.

Dallas added a pair of defensive tackles through free agency in fellow former Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as well as Dontari Poe. While both McCoy and Poe are solid additions for the 2020 season, it was smart by the Cowboys to identify a defensive tackle that they like long-term. Gallimore’s athletic ability gives Dallas something a little different than the two veterans that they inked this spring.

Gallimore possesses an elite first step and quickness off of the line of scrimmage — on the bright side, that allows him to create pressure on the quarterback; on the down side, he is susceptible to being too aggressive and overrunning a play - especially in run support. He is very twitchy and changes direction very well, making him a force for interior offensive linemen to have to deal with.

The Dallas Cowboys have absolutely killed this draft on paper. CeeDee Lamb was considered a blue-chip talent, and he fell right into the Cowboys’ laps. Trevon Diggs was rumored to be a serious contender for the team’s first-round pick, and he fell to 51. Gallimore was widely projected and valued by many to be a second-round selection, and the Cowboys drafted the former Sooner in the third.

Dallas is getting a high-upside player that has the athletic ability to be a solid contributor on the NFL level. Gallimore is not a finished product by any means — he is raw in technique and lacked production on the collegiate level — but this is a good value pick by a team that has accomplished doing just that with all three of their draft selections.