Teams in the NFL have always been built on the NFL Draft. Sure, teams can win championships with trades and free-agent acquisitions; just look at the 2021 L.A. Rams. But for teams to enjoy long stretches of success, they must at least in part build from within. And that means the draft.
Last year, the Cowboys had 11 selections in the draft, and knowing where the team needed the most help, they went defense on eight of those selections.
Some were underwhelmed when Dallas announced its first of three picks in the third round at No. 75 overall, Osa Odighizuwa, the defensive tackle from UCLA.
There were bigger names already picked by the Cowboys in Micah Parsons and Kelvin Joseph.
But Odighizuwa played 54 percent of defensive snaps in 2021, second only to his fellow rookie Parsons. Odighizuwa was thrust into the starting lineup earlier than Dallas had anticipated due to injuries, and he took advantage of it.
Odighizuwa posted 36 tackles, two sacks, and 12 quarterback hits, showing early flashes of his potential - and putting on display what one locker-room source told CowboysSI.com is "top-notch professionalism; he doesn't behave like a rookie.''
“There’s people that do it that are, like, super-organized about that stuff,'' said Osa regarding off-the-field ventures. "But I kind of have a one-track mind, focused on ball, and then relaxing when I have the time afterward to relax but still going home, watching film, and all that stuff.''
His "one-track mind'' worked.
Looking deeper into the numbers, most of Odighizuwa's impressive play came in the first half of the season. That might be due to the fact that Neville Gallimore returned from injury for the second half of 2021, stealing not just some of the playing time from Odighizuwa, but some stats as well.
One of the beautiful things about hitting on a draft pick is the contract consideration. Odighizuwa is entering Year 2 of a four-year deal worth about $5.1 million. He's already working toward that next contract and is showing promise in doing so.
With all the questions surrounding the status of DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory on the ends, maybe the rotation of Odighizuwa and Gallimore (another Cowboys third-round draft pick) are on their way to anchoring this defensive line for the future.
More must-reads: