As we did last week (and will do again next week), it is time to push out our look at two more of the Cowboys’ later-round draft picks after we have given them the thorough film treatment. You know the drill by now, 200 snaps to tell us what kind of player the Cowboys have selected as well as what we have found out about their backstories and potential roles with the team.
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Last week, we did the dive on Jake Ferguson and John Ridgeway.
This week, it is two members of the defensive depth chart, including a corner who may get in the mix pretty quickly and a linebacker who we may not even see in his rookie season due to rather significant health considerations.
Let’s get going on this week’s featured players: DaRon Bland and Damone Clark:
Pick 5/167: DaRon Bland, Fresno State (6-0, 197), Jersey No. 1
Bland has an interesting story of being overlooked quite a bit. He was a no-star recruit from Northern California who played three seasons at Sacramento State — where he played well and also competed in track — before transferring for the 2021 season to Fresno State. In both spots, he became a starter and demonstrated he was a much better player than prospect. He did not receive an invitation to the NFL Combine after his final year. He was, however, a player the Cowboys had targeted to be a “30 visit” and therefore him on their list of players to grab on Day 3 at the right price. We now know that this price was Pick No. 167. At his pro day, he ran a 4.46 40, with reasonable numbers in the broad jump and vertical leap as well as the always mandatory arm length of 32 inches, which puts him right there at what Dan Quinn has always targeted for his corners. He was the 22nd cornerback taken as the 44th-rated corner by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler.
(Statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com)
Games studied: Oregon, UCLA, Wyoming, Nevada
Positives: Bland has a nice combination of measurables that the Cowboys seek and a disposition that says he will be the type of corner they really like on Day 3 — one who plays with a proper amount of physicality against the run and pass plays at the line of scrimmage (like bubble screens) and helps on all four of the special teams early in his career. He appears to have strong ball skills in that he is punching at the ball, sitting on routes and generally looking to make plays. He reacts well to the receiver and is able to manage things very well in coverage. He also has very impressive make-up speed.
Speed + Effort = 🥰@FresnoStateFB CB DaRon Bland has size at 6’2 200 and an impressive extra gear… Doesn’t allow many completions either (19/43 Targets in 2021) @WilliamInge1
1st Team Big Sky in 2019 at Sacramento State pic.twitter.com/CXX8dbvUTA
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) December 16, 2021
Concerns: We would start with that he has been overlooked at seemingly every level and when you start there at this position, which is as traits-based as any position on the field, you must have some level of pause. At the same time, some of those overlooked players develop a mentality that causes them to play angry. His hips are a bit tighter than you would like which means a player’s reaction time at the top of a receiver’s stem is a count behind. This actually might affect zone coverage as much as man and is something he will need to continue to progress with as a defender.
Really enjoyed studying Fresno St CB Daron Bland. Excellent instincts & ball skills. 6’0 1/4 197 lbs 446 40 pic.twitter.com/m25LEivJyI
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 17, 2022
Overall: There is never a bad time to take a cornerback in the draft and the fact that the Cowboys loved this player all along and targeted him early in the fifh round looks like a great fit. Further, with Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown continuously playing huge roles on the team (but also with price tags that have risen), the Cowboys continuing to try to push them with rookies is never a bad plan. I anticipate they will bring him along slowly and allow him to prove himself on special teams in the early going, but there is every reason to believe we better get to know him well through his initial rookie deal. He has a chance to grow into a piece on this defense. I earmarked Bland to be in the mix pretty quickly.
Fresno State CB DaRon Bland showing patience and using his length to get the PBU. Possesses very good speed as well. pic.twitter.com/hCiUfcwNYy
— Lorenz (@ScoutingLenz) January 28, 2022
Pick 5/176: Damone Clark, LSU (6-2, 239), Jersey No. 18
Clark has a backstory that suggests he can handle anything that can be thrown in his direction. As a young child, his family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina to Baton Rouge from New Orleans. Then, as a teenager, he lost most everything in massive floods in his new city. Despite that, he has persevered and stayed in Louisiana to go to LSU as a four-star linebacker. He had to wait his turn behind Devin White and Patrick Queen before he became a starter in 2021 at which time he jumped off the screen with an enormous amount of solid film. However, chances of being a top-100 pick dissipated at the combine when it was discovered that he had a herniated disc and required spinal fusion surgery in March — a procedure that will cost him almost all of his rookie season.
(Statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com) 
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(Measurables courtesy of Mockdraftable.com)
Games studied: Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M
Positives: He really plays the position well with great speed to the ball which combines nicely his physical and mental tools. Talk to anyone who knows Clark and they will verify his understanding of what a linebacker seeks and how to be able to combine film study with the instincts to sniff out plays and concepts in real-time. He does this very well. He can play in coverage reasonably well and covers a lot of ground. To be fair, he is probably a better movement linebacker than a physical one, but given the direction of the sport, that doesn’t concern us too much. He mirrors well and when asked to play force or contain in the run game, he gets it done.
I have ZERO doubt based off just watching the tape that Damone Clark is a film junkie
Constantly pointing out formations, alignments, getting others aligned – and anticipating action! Every down presnap communication and signaling – like every QB of the defense should be doing! pic.twitter.com/9niBttROfR
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) February 6, 2022
Concerns: Obviously, anytime the Cowboys take a linebacker with pre-existing health concerns it rightfully gives people pause, but there comes a point when the price is right and pick No. 176 makes his situation a bargain. Yes, by all accounts he will be out of the mix almost completely in 2022 as he heals from his procedure (the same one Leighton Vander Esch received), but there are few reasons to believe that by 2023 he will be right in the mix. As for his play style, he does not take on blockers as much as you would prefer and a little more physicality would be in order. He can get caught up by blocks at times and doesn’t have quite the punch in his game at the point of attack. Again, there are ways to skin a cat at this position.
Damone Clark was giving Brian Robinson some troubles in the pass game yesterday in practice…
Clark is a really impressive 3-down LB pic.twitter.com/HBubM2DfWc
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) February 4, 2022
Overall: He is a fine prospect who should really be a value for Dallas and the type of player you would smartly target with extra fifth-round picks. He might be a full redshirt player this year, but by 2023, we expect that he should be another young and talented linebacker with wheels who should provide the Cowboys with plenty of flash. Given that he is certainly a top-100 talent in this draft, the trade-off is proper. Take him much later, but give up his rookie season to give his body a chance to heal. I am very pleased with this investment and I believe he will factor in heavily in the years to come.
We wrap up this series next week with our final two players, Matt Waletzko and Devin Harper.
(Top photo of DaRon Bland: John McCoy / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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