Dallas City News

It is often said that Day 3 of the NFL Draft is the one that belongs to the scouts. Initial draft action involves the highest level of detail from the highest level of authorities because more premium resources are being spent. But as the draft goes on, more and more players go off the board which makes finding a diamond in the rough more challenging. It is truly a haystack to search for a needle in, which is why the scouts that have been identifying needles in learning about the players 24/7/365 are the ones who are better suited for the job.

Time will tell what the Dallas Cowboys discovered on the draft’s third day this year, but early indications seem to be strong as they are picking up some kudos regarding two of their selections.

Caelen Carson and Nathan Thomas have drawn praise from ESPN’s Field Yates

Among the Day 3 selections for the Dallas Cowboys were cornerback Caelen Carson and tackle Nathan Thomas.

Carson represents depth at corner, a position that was quietly in need of it. It is true that Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis are the starters, but do you feel any real sense of confidence beyond that? Enter Carson.

As far as Thomas is concerned, the Cowboys are also in some need of a swing tackle. Guys like Chuma Edoga and Matt Waletzko are the contenders, but they hardly inspire confidence.

ESPN’s Field Yates listed Carson and Thomas both among his best picks/top steals in every round.

Caelen Carson, CB, Dallas Cowboys (No. 174)

The Wake Forest scheme called for Carson to play a good amount of off-man coverage, which shined a light on two areas that I was drawn to in his game: He has a very good trigger to drive back to the ball from his backpedal and the discipline to not bite on double moves. Carson didn’t have standout on-ball production, as he was without an interception over the past two seasons, but he’s disruptive when the ball is in his area.

Nathan Thomas, OT, Dallas Cowboys (No. 233)

Thomas started 26 games at Louisiana, playing every snap at left tackle. But he has positional flexibility to play at guard — and that might be his better home at the NFL level. Thomas’ standout trait is his power; when he is able to get his hands on a defender, it’s over.

As far as the love for Carson is concerned, it is going to be fascinating to see how Al Harris is able to get the best out of him. We have seen throughout Harris’ time with the Cowboys that he is able to put defensive backs in position to generate takeaways, any level of disruption seems like something that Harris can build upon.

Concerning Thomas, whether or not he plays inside will obviously be interesting to monitor. Upon the moment he was drafted it seemed like maybe he had a chance to compete for the swing tackle spot down the road but perhaps that may not wind up being the case.

The Cowboys have a handful of linemen with position flexibility so maybe that is something they want to monitor with Thomas and his future. Either way it is exciting to know that movement is an option for him.