Cowboys countdown to kickoff: #68 Matt Farniok

We’re continuing our countdown to the opening game of the Dallas Cowboys 2023 regular season. Each day we’ll present a new player whose jersey number represents the countdown to opening day. Today is number 68.

OG Matt Farniok
Born: 26th September 1997 (25) - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
College: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Draft: 2021, Round 7, Pick 238, Dallas Cowboys

2022 Stats:
Total Snaps: 218 (17%)
Pass Block Snaps: 112
Run Block Snaps: 76
Sacks: 0
Pressures: 13
Penalties: 1

College:
Matt Farniok joined Nebraska in 2016 and spent his first year as a redshirt. The next year he managed to play in seven games for Nebraska, four as a starter playing primarily at right tackle, but also rotating snaps at right guard. The next year Farniok would start all twelve games at right tackle for Nebraska and the team would finish 25th in the nation in total offensive yards per game (456.2). That was the highest team total for the program in the last six years. In the 2018 team opener, Farniok was the lead blocker for the offense that produced a total of 582 total yards of offense. Then helped the team follow up with a 518-yard performance. The offense would set a school record of seven consecutive games of 450 yards or more in a game. The next year Farniok was named team captain after a great season and helped set another team record by producing 690 yards on offense in a single game. His senior year would see him earn another captaincy role for the team. During his final year playing he would play snaps at both right guard and center; he would allow only two sacks and eight pressures in a reduced season. Farniok finished his time at Nebraska with 2,643 snaps on offense with 1,395 of those snaps on pass sets, and he allowed 13 sacks.

Cowboys Review:
Farniok was the final pick made Dallas in the 2021 NFL Draft. His rookie year saw him play primarily on special teams, but the following year saw him get an uptick on offense. He played a role in 2022 on the offensive line as a backup guard and played 191 snaps on offense. It was clear he was still a little raw but he never allowed a sack while playing. He was placed on injured reserve in October due to a torn hamstring injury he picked up during the Detroit Lions game.

2023 Roster Projection:
It looks like we could be seeing plenty of Farniok this season as he seats himself as one of the prime candidates for the starting left guard position. This, of course, is all dependent on who is available to start the season. But if he doesn’t get to start the season as one of the top five he will look to be a major backup lineman for the season. This is still presumption until we get to see how far he’s developed when last year he wasn’t the most efficient lineman the Cowboys had. But on the flip side of that statement, each snap Farniok took he did look progressively better. For now there’s a lot of speculation as to the starting left guard and backup guard position this year and Farniok has every opportunity to make either of them his. Not bad for a seventh-round pick.

Projected 2023 Stats:
Total Snaps: 320
Pass Block Snaps: 120
Run Block Snaps: 60
Pressures: 14
Sacks: 0

The Big Question:
Can Matt Farniok beat out the competition for a starting left guard role? Comment with your answer below.