Cowboys HC McCarthy speaks on top draft picks’ performance in rookie minicamp

After losing key contributors at multiple positions via free agency, Cowboys’ head coach Mike McCarthy understands the importance of Dallas’ rookie class getting off to a solid start. McCarthy spoke to the media about his first impressions, made on him during last week’s rookie minicamp, on a number of his clubs new additions.

“I can’t say enough about the whole class and the coaching staff, the time they’ve spent when they were drafted up until their arrival yesterday,” McCarthy said, noting the progress that the incoming rookies made before even arriving in Dallas. He would later add, “They’re excited to be here. The work, the work has been tremendous. So, real excited about the group as a whole, we’re off to a good start.”

Two main factors have led to this head start; the players willingness to learn and the Cowboys staff’s improvements in their virtual coaching capabilities over the last two off-seasons.

“The pandemic taught us a lot, and one of the things is virtual education and interaction,” McCarthy said. “This group is significantly, clearly further ahead than the last two classes coming in here because of the virtual opportunities.”

The questions began to focus in on the Cowboys’ top additions through the draft and McCarthy divulged his first impressions and first interactions with those key rookies.

"How did Tyler Smith at left guard look?"

Cowboys first-round pick Tyler Smith only played tackle at Tulsa, but it’s clear the club has plans for him to fill their gap at left guard. McCarthy was noncommittal about Smith’s long term role, expressing that the process in general is more important that the technicalities.

“I think the biggest thing is I would look at the whole process. I wouldn’t get too caught up on exactly where Tyler is playing, because we’re trying to have as constructive a practice environment as we can as far as how many linemen we’re dealing with. That’s part of that equation and formula,” McCarthy remarked. “I feel like I stated when he was drafted he will work left guard and left tackle, but you can see the twitch is something that jumps out at you. I thought he had a really nice day.”

“It felt good, I won’t even lie,” said Smith, who enjoyed his first practice at a position he hasn’t played since high school.

Although it is a transition that will undoubtedly come with challenges, many analysts believe the move inside to guard will help to accentuate the 21-year old’s strengths and mitigate his main technical flaws.

Talk about what you saw from Sam Williams at Ole Miss."

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

Sam Williams was a late-riser in the general consensus draft boards, but McCarthy revealed the Cowboys had their eye on him early in the collegiate season.

“One of the things I do on a daily basis, I kind of have a check-in moment with Will McClay and he’s always in there watching college tape. I don’t recall when it was, October, November, and he had Sam on and he was just watching Sam in his office.”

McCarthy, Dan Quinn, and others flew to Ole Miss for a private workout with Williams, and the Cowboys coaches knew then that they wanted him on the roster.

“I think we can all agree Sam Williams was born to play professional football. He has the gifts. He has the physical traits,” McCarthy said. The traits McCarthy is referring to include his combination of strength and speed, as the former Rebel ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at over 260 pounds.

Williams has a chance to carve out a prominent rotational role after the departure of Randy Gregory, and the Cowboys head coach believes he will do just that, “He’s in a great place. He’s obviously in an excellent system that he’ll definitely benefit. I think he’ll do extremely well early for us.”

"With a young guy like Jalen Tolbert, do you try to have him in one spot early on, or do you throw everything at him?"

(Scott Donaldson)

Like his fellow rookies Smith and Williams, South Alabama’s Tolbert is also expected to contribute early and often for Dallas this year. His versatility was a considered a strength as a prospect.

“I think it depends on the individual, and just the short time I’ve been around Jalen, I think he’s going to do fine,” McCarthy responded when asked how he thought Tolbert would handle playing both the inside and outside receiver positions.

McCarthy would go on to add some high praise for his new wideout, comparing Tolbert’s athletic abilities to one current and one recent Cowboys.

“Will McClay and I were talking, and he [Tolbert] reminds you on first impression as far as his moving traits, it’s somewhere kind of between CeeDee [Lamb] and Cedrick Wilson. That’s his body type and I think that’s a great comparable.”

Both Lamb and Wilson played in the slot and at the outside receiver positions, and McCarthy envisions a similar future for Tolbert, “I think that illustrates what we’re looking for when you have that type of skillset where you can come in here and have the ability to play inside and outside. I think it’s a real value.”

"How is Jake Ferguson?"

(Photo by David Stluka)

Selected in the fourth-round tight end Jake Ferguson has been a relatively under-the-radar addition by Dallas, but the coaching staff instantly loved what they saw from the Wisconsin product.

“Boy, what didn’t you like about him? I like the way he plays. It’s the first thing that jumped out. I like his play style. I like his aggressiveness, and I think he’s what you need at tight end. He’s able to play on the ball, off the ball. He’s productive as a receiver. But I really like his play style.” McCarthy said. Ferguson fits the mold of tough, aggressive rookies, something that was clearly a priority for the Cowboys.

Proving your worth on special teams is usually a mid-to-late round rookies best way to see immediate playing time, and it sounds like Ferguson has a head start at securing a special teams role.

“You look at Wisconsin. They’re one of the few teams in college football that uses a pro punt formation,” McCarthy added, “He’s probably the only one that had any former experience there. You could see it in his footwork and you could see it in his standing.”

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