2. Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
While Leki Fotu would be an excellent one-technique for the Cowboys, he’s not the only defensive tackle they could use in the 2020 NFL Draft. With Tyrone Crawford potentially on the chopping block — barring a salary cut — the Cowboys really need a three-technique tackle.
Outside of Crawford, who they actually like more at defensive end, the Boys have Maliek Collins and Trysten Hill. However, Collins is a free agent and there’s no telling what kind of contract he might be able to get in the open market. Hill, a second-round pick from 2019, was another favorite of Rod Marinelli’s but didn’t do much in his rookie season.
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Dallas would be wise to treat him as if he isn’t on the team and if he does make a leap, that could be a bonus — kind of like the approach they took with Randy Gregory who really is never there. Using that philosophy, the Cowboys would have to think long and hard about using their top pick on South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw should he still be on the board.
They made no secret that they were high on Aaron Donald when he was in the 2014 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, Donald was gone before Dallas could make their pick. They turned out fine with Zack Martin, one of the best guards in the NFL, but they could finally add their interior pass rusher they coveted back then.
And according to Kinlaw, he could be better than Donald. That’s a high bar for anyone but Kinlaw has the skill set to try and make good on that goal. Gifted with great size (6-foot-6 and 315-pounds), Kinlaw is also a workhorse on the field. When he got to the Senior Bowl this offseason, he was head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the players at his position and would be an instant starter — and possibly the best interior pass rusher the Cowboys have had in decades.