Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys still have a slim chance of making the playoffs, but will need a lot of help from other teams along the way. With bowl season coming up in college football, this is a good time to look at the biggest needs for Dallas and who the key prospects are in the first round the Cowboys could take with either of their Day 1 picks. In this edition we look at the linebackers Dallas desperately need.
Arvell Reese is a talented hybrid terror on the Buckeyes defense. He plays off-ball linebacker who can walk up and rush the passer and has length, snap timing and heavy hands. After a quiet freshman year in 2023 where he featured in six games without registering a tackle, he became a real rotational piece in 2024 and made 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack. In 2025 he’s exploded into a real star. He’s up to 62 total tackles, 10 TFL, seven sacks and two pass breakups with the Buckeyes using him interchangeably at linebacker and edge to wreck fronts all season.
Elite burst to win first contact, range to chase, and true pass-rush speed for a stack linebacker. Has unbelievable strength to take on offensive linemen breaking into the second level, and his instincts for the position are the best seen on tape in the past few years. Has the second-most sacks among linebackers in this year’s linebacker class.
Coverage skills still need polish – quicker route recognition and fewer grabs at the break. Can lose contain, usually because he’s so overly aggressive on every play. Change-of-direction skills need honing when covering tight ends and running backs on routes.
Reese is a violent, versatile playmaker who splits snaps between true linebacker and edge playing the Joker role. He just won Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and he projects as LB1 and a top-five overall talent on most boards, whose three-down impact translates very clearly in the NFL.
(Top-5 prospect)
Styles is a compete menace and backfield eraser. An ex-safety turned three-down linebacker, he’s stacked over 220 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, nine sacks, nine pass breakups, and one interceptions in the last three years for the Buckeyes.
He has range and coverage polish for a linebacker. PFF has his tackling grade at 92.2 which is highest in the nation among linebackers and his coverage grade of 89.1 is third-best. The grades show his prowess of getting to the ball carrier in an instant and he leads Ohio State with 68 tackles, with remarkably, zero missed tackles on the year, which is maybe his most impressive stat.
His pass-rush impact lags and when he plays tall inside, long guards can stick to him. Needs to play with lower pads and a quicker shed. Quick footed slot receivers give him headaches, showing a level rigidity to his change-of-direction skills....
