It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a linebacker in the 2024 NFL Draft as they're very thin at the position despite the signing of veteran LB Eric Kendricks, who is reuniting with Mike Zimmer this season.
The most popular linebacker target for the Cowboys appears to be Edgerrin Cooper, the Texas A&M product who could likely be available at 56th overall in the second round. Many expect the consensus top LB, Payton Wilson, to be off the board by then.
However, there's another prospect the Cowboys could consider at LB and that is Michigan's Junior Colson, who A to Z Sports' film analyst James Foster compares to none other than Sean Lee on his Big Board, who could've been a Hall of Fame-caliber player had it not been for the consistent injuries.
Foster ranks Colson as his 79th prospect, which is significantly lower than the consensus, where he ranks 58th. Chances are the Michigan product won't get past the second round, though. He is a Top 30 visit for the Cowboys.
Junior Colson Scouting Report
You can read Foster's full breakdown on his Big Board but below is a summary:
Strengths
- Quick play diagnosis & fit recognition
- Day-1 contributor at Michigan, with 36 career starts
- Violent & secure tackler
- Recognizes screens & sifts through traffic
- Scrapes with proper leverage & active hands
- Good vision & block anticipation in run defense
- Excellent stopping power to attack & absorb lead blocks
Weaknesses
- Below average speed. Doesn't have the range to track down outside runs
- Lacks closing burst & length to disrupt the catch point
- Struggles to keep up with shallow crossers from zone coverage
- Limited 3rd down skillset. Not suited for deep zone drops or man coverage
Seeing that Sean Lee-esque play diagnosis and fit recognition would be great at linebacker, especially under Mike Zimmer, who mostly wants his linebackers to be versatile and savvy rather than athletic freaks.
If he's there when the clock is ticking on Day 2, the Cowboys better consider him.
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