Instant analysis: What you need to know about Cowboys 2022 Draft pick Sam Williams

For the second night in a row, a run on wide receiver prospects at the NFL Draft steered the Cowboys in a different direction. After addressing offensive line in the first round with Tyler Smith, the Cowboys added to the trenches on the other side of the ball with Sam Williams out of Ole Miss.

Where Smith was a late surprise in the Cowboys draft process, Williams has peaked the Cowboys interest for a while. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn attended Williams’ pro day, where the newest Cowboys pass rusher told the media that Dallas was looking for “another Micah Parsons”. Williams was also a pre-draft 30 visit to The Star.

Williams won’t play the same position as Parsons, who was Quinn’s success story as a first-round defender with elite versatility, but Williams can rush from multiple spots with the speed and twitch that Quinn covets.

Williams is a native of Montgomery, Alabama, and found himself in the SEC after being a first team All-JUCO player at Northeast Mississippi Community College. With 12.5 sacks as a senior, Williams is an ascending player the Cowboys can work into a rotation with free agent Dante Fowler and Dorance Armstrong.

Defensive end is a position the Cowboys may have been able to avoid drafting early if they re-signed Randy Gregory, but pass rush is a premier position where the right prospect can make a day one impact. Dallas has just enough depth to not ask too much of Williams this season, but his upside projects to fill a spot on the depth chart in due time.

If the best thing the Cowboys did this offseason is bring back Quinn as defensive coordinator, the next best thing happened Friday night when Williams became the latest athlete for the second-year coordinator to mold.

Williams’ athletic profile aligns closely with two prospects drafted ahead of him, Boye Mafe at 40th overall to Seattle and Kavon Thibodeaux at five to the Giants. The Cowboys never had a shot at Thibodeaux, but Williams is the more bendy and dynamic rusher to Mafe as a clear scheme fit.

You can read more on Sam Williams, the Cowboys 56th overall pick, by checking out our full scouting report.

We broke down what the selection of Sam Williams means for the Dallas Cowboys on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel:

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