In this series, I am doing a quick IDP daft review for each team. We’ll look at their IDP draft haul, what it means for their team, and the impact it will have on fantasy managers. We continue the series with the Dallas Cowboys are led by head coach Mike McCarthy, who led Dallas to a 12-5 record in the NFC East Division Title. The Cowboys have made the playoffs several times over the last few years, but haven’t been able to get over that hurdle of making a championship run. Let's take a deep dive into their IDP draft haul.
1st Round 27th overall - Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
The Dallas Cowboys have been looking for consistent play from the interior of their defensive line. Each time they feel they have it filled, something happens, injury, free agency, or bust. I’m not crazy about the Cowboys taking Smith that early and I felt there were better options at the position for them to select. With who Dallas already had rostered as their interior defenders, I didn’t feel this was their biggest need. They currently have Osa Odighizuwa, Jonathan Hankins, Neville Gallimore, and Chauncey Golston along with some others, and now add Mazi.
Ourlads currently have Osa Odighizuwa (DT) and Mazi Smith (NT) listed as the starters, but we all know that you can never have too many IDL and that a rotation keeps guys fresh. There will be a lot of pressure (no pun intended) for DC Dan Quinn to get this defense in check. Mazi Smith is a big man who will shut down running lanes but he’s not going to provide much of a pass-rush presence. His impact on the team will not be reflected by his weekly box score. Smith's stats during his time as a Michigan Wolverine, include 35 games played, 88 total tackles, six TFLs, ½ sack, and four PBUs.
In the fantasy football world, Mazi isn’t going to be much of a help to your fantasy teams. His best value will come in position-specific IDP leagues that have huge rosters and require you to start a lot at each position. An example would be a league I play in called Defense Wins Championships, which is an IDP-only league with the requirements I mentioned above. If you need help with the DT position, then I would look at other options before drafting Smith. This a deep defensive line class and a lot of options I would take ahead of Smith.
3rd Round 89th overall - Demarvion Overshown, ILB, Texas
The first round is where I felt that the Cowboys should have looked at the linebacker position more, instead of the interior defensive line. However, getting Overshown here in the third round was a solid selection. Dallas basically uses just two LBs or three if you count elite stud playmaker Micah Parsons. Even with Parsons, Dallas has been looking to upgrade the position. They basically tried to move on from starter Leighton Vander Esch the past couple of seasons and with his injury history (neck), it’s understandable. Next to LVE, they had rookie Damone Clark (10 games & 5 starts) who was really nothing special, but serviceable.
The Cowboys drafted Overshown in the 3rd round with the 89th overall pick and I feel he will challenge Clark right away. Overshown is a former safety turned linebacker and handled the transition well. Ourlads currently has Overshown listed as Clark’s backup and only Jabril Cox to beat out, Overshown will have a terrific shot to beat out Clark. In his two full seasons as a LB at Texas, Overshown played 21 games, totaling 150 tackles, 78 solo stops, 14½ TFLs, five sacks, and seven PBUs. The Cowboys get an athletic LB who can cover and be an impact versus the run.
For those of you who play in fantasy football leagues, Overshown is definitely worth drafting and stashing on your taxi squads until we see how things play out. If he can grab the starting job away from Clark early, I expect him to be a good source of tackles with big play potential. He’ll be a good fit next to LVE and just upgrade the position overall. The main thing to remember with Overshown is to be patient. His time is coming sooner than most think.
4th Round 129th overall - Viliami Fehoko, DE, San Jose State
In the fourth round, Dallas made a sneaky pick and grabbed Viliami Fehoko a pass rusher from San Jose State. Over his last three seasons with the Spartans, he played in 32 games while producing 142 total tackles, 85 solo stops, 44 TFLs, 22 sacks, five forced fumbles, and eight PBUs. As you can see, Fehoko did a little bit of everything for that defense. The Cowboys have a damn good EDGE group, with Demarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons as the starters and Sam Williams and Dorance Armstrong as backups. Fehoko has his work cut out for him but could be a really nice player down the road.
In the fantasy football realm, owners are going to have to be super patient. The correct move is to stash him on your taxi squads and let him develop. Could be as much as a couple of years out before he can contribute. Most don’t have or won’t have that kind of patience or even roster space for that. I get it, but Fehoko has some very interesting upside, so I’m stashing him where I can without being a detriment to my team's rosters.
6th Round 178th overall - Eric Scott Jr, CB, Southern Miss
For a late-round pick, I like this selection by the Cowboys. They could use some help on the outside depth wise and with his size and length, Scott Jr gives Dallas some options. In fact, at 6’2/202 lbs he could possibly move to safety in the future. I like him as a tall, long, athletic corner. In 27 career games for Southern Miss, Scott produced 60 total tackles, 40 solo stops, a 67% solo rate, two TFLs, five interceptions, 16 PBUs, and two fumble recoveries. Scott also displayed his homerun ability by returning his five INTs for 100 total yards and two were pick sixes.
Scott is not someone I am rostering at the moment in IDP fantasy football, as that position is super deep and can be streamed for the most part. However, as I mentioned earlier, in leagues such as Defense Wins Championships, there is some appeal to rostering Scott. Again patience is gonna be needed with a player like Scott. I believe the Cowboys will get a lot out of Scott once he develops. He’ll start out as a special teams player with some solid backup capabilities. Looking for a late dart throw? This could be the one to take.
All stats provided by Pro Football Reference
Thanks for reading my article. I am a member of the FSWA (Fantasy Sports Writers of America). Follow me on Twitter at @HollywoodTitan, on Facebook on my IDPNation page, on Reddit in the fantasy football IDP sub — I’m user KingTitan1 — and tune in each week and listen to IDP Nation and Devy IDP Grind, the podcasts that I co-host, on several different platforms. Feel free to email or dm me with any questions that you have, as I’m always glad to help fellow IDPers. #IDPNation #IDP #IDPDevy
