Dallas looks to shore up its defense in this year's NFL Draft, especially at the linebacker position. Ohio State LB Sonny Styles could be the answer.
It is no secret that the Dallas Cowboys need some help on defense, with the team looking to this year's NFL Draft pool to get more talent on depth on that side of the ball.
Former Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles has been touted as an elite - and "violent'' - talent at the position, which is one where Dallas is especially weak. Many mock drafts have him going off the board extremely early in the opening day.
While he may not be projected to be around when the Cowboys are ready to pick at No. 12 (and obviously not at 20), there seems to be a mutual interest between Styles and Dallas.
Our Mike Fisher reported two months ago that Dallas was "in love'' with Styles as a top-10 guy.
And ...
During on appearance on Up & Adams with Kay Adams, Styles revealed that he is using one of the team's top-30 visits to meet with Dallas ahead of April's draft.
There have already been multiple rumors about Dallas moving up or down the draft order with two coveted first-round picks. If Styles hits it off with the Cowboys and he is still up for grabs around the 5-10 range, it is a legitimate possibility that Dallas could take a big swing to land one of the year's top prospects.
The lack of a second round pick seems to be the biggest drawback to trading away one or potentially both of the first round selections to move up in the order, as Dallas could land one great talent but be unable to load up on depth before picking again in the third round.
Under first year defensive coordinator Christian Parker, Dallas has an inside linebacker room consisting of DeMarvion Overshown and Shemar James. While Dallas has expressed optimism in the future with these two young talents, adding one more in Styles is something Parker would assumedly be more than happy with.
In his final season with the Buckeyes, Styles racked up an impressive total 82 tackles, with 6.5 going for a loss of 17 yards. He also recorded a sack, an interception and four hits on opposing quarterbacks.
It won't be easy bringing Styles to Dallas but the franchise has been vocal about drafting the best talent to ensure the Cowboys can avoid another letdown season. If Jerry Jones, Brian Schottenheimer and especially Parker feel that Styles could be a can't-miss opportunity, there could be some real draft day shakeups in Dallas that send ripples across the entire league.
Only time will tell what the future holds for Styles and the Cowboys, but the upcoming visit shows Dallas isn't afraid to be aggressive in meeting with the best projected talent.