Cowboys selected Western Michigan EDGE Marshawn Kneeland with the No. 56 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Kneeland (6’3/267) was a largely unrecruited two-star prospect at the FBS level who also played basketball and ran track in high school. He played sparsely for his first couple of seasons before earning a starting role in 2022, racking up 25 pressures and 24 stops to go with a 77th percentile PFF overall grade in nine games. He has had trouble staying on the field at times, missing multiple games in each of the last two campaigns with calf and elbow injuries. Being a small school athlete, Kneeland’s combine testing was an important part of his evaluation process. While the straight line speed marks were decent with a 4.75s 40-yard dash (79th%) and 1.65s 10-yard split (77th%), his 4.18s shuttle (97th%) and 7.02s 3-Cone (91st%) were outstanding. His solid 35.5” vert (88th%) and 9’11” broad jump (81st%) helped elevate Kneeland’s Relative Athletic Score to a very respectable 9.08 RAS. A rare power-edge in a speed-rusher-dominated draft class, Kneeland explodes into contact with the intention of caving in his opponent’s chest and driving him into the backfield. What Kneeland lacks in refined technique, he makes up for in sheer tenacity and desire. Kneeland has the requisite strength and athleticism to develop into a fearsome edge-setting defensive end if he can develop his moveset with NFL-level coaching.
