Dallas Cowboys 7-round 2020 NFL mock draft after postseason elimination

Despite having exceptional talent in recently drafted Leighton Vander Esch, the linebacker position should be a concern for the Dallas Cowboys heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. For starters, Sean Lee is still playing in Week 17. Which any Dallas Cowboys fan will tell you might be a small miracle.

This talented linebacker has spent enough time holding a clipboard while injured, he should be named a defensive assistant coach, and open up a roster spot. Lee has said he won’t make a decision about his future until the spring of 2020. But even if the veteran decides to tough it out one more season, the Cowboys should consider having another talented linebacker in the room.

Kenneth Murray should fill a talent vacancy in the middle part of the defense that has plagued this team not just this season but for multiple years. The team has always carried talented linebackers, but injury has run rampant in years past, and having a young player at the linebacker position would be a welcome arrival for this position group.

Murray might just be the most talented linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft not named Isaiah Simmons. According to ESPN, Murray had 102 total tackles this season. Which if you can believe it, is a regression from 2018. In the 2018 season, Murray had 155 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. No matter which way you slice it, this Sooner is one talented linebacker.

At 6-foot-3 245 pounds, you would think Murray is the typical strong side linebacker. But he runs so fast despite his size, he could be a safety and not look out of place. Murray has great sideline to sideline speed and can clear out to the flats as fast as any linebacker in this draft.

He can fall into coverage, if need be, and be a tough opponent to outmuscle at the catch point. Murray is less disciplined when it comes to play-action, as he can be seen on tape being a little too aggressive on some plays. But whatever ground he loses on biting too early, he can typically pick back up with his breakneck speed.

Where Murray really shines is tackling. On running plays, this serves him very nicely and considering this team will have to face Saquon Barkley and Adrian Peterson twice a year, having a nice run-stopping linebacker is going to be essential. On short passes, he moves quickly and has shown excellent tackling at times against receivers, which will help limit yards after the catch.

Murray isn’t perfect though. Murray has shown lapses in decision making in the game, some that make it hard to square with some of the elite plays he has made in the last two seasons. Murray is decent in coverage, but in the NFL his reaction times might be too slow for more talented quarterbacks to abuse. But the good plays Murray has put out there will make any defensive coordinator worth his salt want Murray on his team.

If Murray can iron out a few details of his playstyle in the league, he could develop into one of the best linebackers in the NFL. His speed and tackling will make him an excellent candidate for this team in the 2020 NFL Draft.