Rank’Em: Top OLBs On The Cowboys’ Schedule?

10. Montez Sweat: One of my favorite players coming out of the 2019 NFL Draft. Stacked opportunity on opportunity his senior season. Outstanding in the Senior Bowl/Combine. Played as a defensive end at Mississippi State and now making the transition to linebacker. Don't feel this will be a problem for him. The majority of his snaps will be rushing the passer opposite Ryan Kerrigan. Explosive quickness. Can turn the corner in a hurry. When he dips his shoulder he can capture that edge. Disruptive in the pocket. Looks slight on tape with his build but plays strong. When he extends on blockers he can control them. Hard guy to block when he plays on the move. Doesn't give the blocker much of a hitting surface. Don't see much of a learning curve for him in the NFL. Could envision him as a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.

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9. Lorenzo Alexander: Veteran that despite his age still plays at a very high level. Is always around the ball. Is asked to cover receivers in the slot at times. Athlete. Is always aware to what is going on around him. Has some Sean Lee qualities to him in this way. Finds the ball quickly. Nice finisher. Will knock the ball carrier back. Will step up and take on blockers. Physical enough to free himself. Plays well with his hands. Can rely on him in coverage. Ball skills for turnovers. Positions himself well to create those opportunities. Doesn't come off the field. Can use him as a pass rusher. Has a knack for attacking the pocket and picking up sacks. Does a nice job of timing his blitz in order to create pressure.

8. Preston Smith: This Dallas offensive line knows him well from his days with Washington. Along with Ryan Kerrigan was a difficult player to deal with. Has now moved onto Green Bay and should be a nice fit in their scheme. Outstanding competitor with physical/mental toughness. Shows short area foot quickness/burst. Plays with range. Is one of those guys that you always have to account for on the backside. Reactionary athlete with lateral quickness. Plays the game with smarts. Opponents have tried to fool him with boots/waggles but he maintains his position. Has made his share of big plays to disrupt offenses. Have to be careful with him due to his ability to play off blocks. Length serves him well holding that corner.

7. Kiko Alonso: Plays with balance/body control. Hard guy to knock off his feet. Have seen blockers attempt to cut him down and he maintains his balance to get to the play. Takes on blocks well. Impressive with the way he extends his hands to get rid of blockers. Has a physical edge to his game. Not afraid to go nose to nose with blockers. Plays with instincts. Will knife through the line to make a tackle behind the line of scrimmage. If he sees a gap, he's going to run through it. Have seen him gamble on reads and come up big. Can get to the outside in a hurry when the ball heads that direction. Plays with some serious range. Is not going to let the ball get around the corner. Plays well in coverage. Knows where to drop in order to keep the ball in front of him. Tackles well.

6. Dont'a Hightower: Lines up both as an inside/outside linebacker. Is really good setting the edge. Strong at the point of attack. Powerful player. Has a nasty side to his game. At times too aggressive. Will over run plays. There are snaps where he will guess and be wrong. Square player when he has to take on blockers. Hard guy to move off the spot. Plays with some pop. Emotional/get in your face type of player. Reacts quickly when in coverage. Can really drive on the ball when he sees it. Best trait he has is his ability to rush the passer. Loves to attack the pocket. Can use him in stunts where he works with down linemen. Blockers have to account for him. Scheme requires him to play all over the field.

5. Ryan Kerrigan: Has been a problem over the years for the Dallas Cowboys to have to deal with. Effort/skill is outstanding. Don't feel like he generally gets the credit he deserves. Can be a difference maker off the edge. Will make one or two plays a game that can turn it in the favor of the Redskins. Outstanding body control/balance. Plays well with his hands. Is always in attack mode. Never gives up on a play. Just when the blocker feels like he's out of the play, he somehow recovers to get back in on it. Plays the run just as well as he does the pass. Consistency is a huge part of his game. Not an up/down player at all. Durability has never been a problem for him. Just lines up and plays hard.

4. Leonard Floyd: Nice feel for how to control the blocker. Can be a violent hitter. Have seen him snap the ball carry back and stop them in their tracks. Start/stop quickness is impressive as his upper body power for a long guy. Can knock a blocker out of his stance. First step quickness to capture the edge. Can really turn the corner. Puts pressure on the blocker right now. Chases the ball all over the field. Gets down the line in a hurry. Amazing how smoothly he moves for his length. Does a nice job of retracing his steps when the quarterback climbs to the front of the pocket. Is always working to hammer at the ball.

3. Demario Davis: Attacks the gap quickly. Is always around the ball. Physical player. Has some snap to his game. Big time run/hit linebacker. Can cover some ground when running. Plays with a burst. Delivers a blow when he arrives. Can put him in man coverage. Has no problems staying with his man. Plays with a change of direction. No stiffness/tightness to his game. Shows lateral quickness/agility. Outstanding contact balance. Doesn't give any ground when taking on blockers. Holds up well at the point. Consistency is impressive. Not any up/down to his game. Doesn't have bad plays. High football intelligence.

2. Anthony Barr: Long/rangy player. Can really cover some ground when he's running. Is a finisher. Speed helps in pass coverage. Matches up well. Never comes off the field. Outstanding redirection skills. Can put his foot in the ground and explode to the ball. Has an advantage with his length. Can keep blockers off his body. Hard guy to control when he's playing on the move. Finds the ball then is gone. Doesn't allow the blocker to cut him off. Is used as a blitzer.  Is a nightmare for running backs to have to block. Was a pass rusher in college so has the skills to get to the quarterback. Running backs are not use to blocking his type. Will run over blockers or completely avoid them with quick move.

1. Khalil Mack: Will play in a two-point stance or with his hand down. Lines up on both sides of the formation. Comes off the ball with extreme quickness and agility. Is on the blocker in a hurry. Impressive how he can break his man down within the first two steps of his rush. Have to account for him every snap. When he gets the corner of the blocker is a handful. Closes ground quickly from the backside. Powerful man when he extends his hand and bull rushes. Have seen many a blocker get walked back by him due to his upper body and power. On a positive note, La'el Collins played him well when Mack was in Oakland two years ago.