Cowboys will get to know Carson Wentz well at Senior Bowl
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- Next week the Dallas Cowboys' coaches will work with the North squad at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
The biggest benefit for the Cowboys will be getting to know the players in a football atmosphere for a week, which should give them a leg up when the team puts together its draft board.
On Thursday, the Senior Bowl officially announced the rosters and there are several players the Cowboys will coach who could be high on their wish list later in the spring.
Because everything is about the quarterback, let’s start with North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.
He won the FCS championship in Frisco, Texas, with a terrific showing against Jacksonville State. Daniel Jeremiah had the Cowboys selecting Wentz with the fourth overall pick in his recent mock draft at NFL.com. Wentz suffered a broken right wrist in the sixth game of the season but passed for 1,651 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He has size (6-foot-6, 235). He can move well. He can make all the throws. He will get a chance to play against a higher level of competition next week in practice.
Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan should be a mid-round pick and went 36-10 as the starter. He doesn’t possess the greatest skills, but he is smart and tough. He also has a Cowboys connection in a way. Last season, the Cowboys used a virtual-reality based system run by STRIVR Labs that allows players a 3-D look at live action from practice. Former Stanford kicker Derek Belch developed the program and Hogan benefitted from the work.
Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon will become a hot name in the next few months. He ran for 4,480 yards in his career and 1,070 yards last season with 19 touchdowns. He is a three-down runner. The Cowboys will look to find a back to pair with Darren McFadden and Dixon could easily find himself in that mix.
Cornerback will be another need and two players of interest will be Houston’s William Jackson III and Virginia’s Maurice Canady. They have length. They run fairly well. Jackson had five interceptions and 23 pass breakups. Canady did not have a pick but had six pass breakups. He can also help as a punt returner.
There might not be a more intriguing player at the Senior Bowl than Ohio State’s Braxton Miller. He made his name as a quarterback (two-time Big Ten offensive player of the year) but moved to receiver as a senior and caught 26 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran 42 times for 260 yards. A week with a raw prospect could really help the Cowboys in the evaluation process.
The best defensive linemen on the North squad could be Penn State defensive tackle Austin Johnson. The Cowboys have shown they don’t place a great value on a nose tackle in recent years but Johnson could be an exception to the rule and give the Cowboys not just a run-stopper but a bigger player (6-4, 323) with some pass-rush ability.
Two years ago Zack Martin solidified his reputation with his work against Aaron Donald at the Senior Bowl. Now his younger brother, Nick, gets a chance to help his stock. He can play guard and center and the Cowboys have a need for just that sort of player in 2016. It’s safe to say the Cowboys will know all about Martin’s makeup.
Other North players of interest: East Carolina tight end Bryce Williams, Michigan State wide receiver Aaron Burbridge and Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day.