Cowboys bolster defense with two bold first-round NFL Draft picks
Legendary former Alabama coach and ESPN analyst Nick Saban was awkwardly caught slamming a Dallas Cowboys pick during the first round of the NFL Draft.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys made a splash in Thursday night's first round, making two eye opening selections in an effort to transform their defense.
They moved up a spot to take Caleb Downs at No. 11 and then moved down three positions to get Central Florida pass rusher Malachi Lawrence with the 23rd choice.
And it was the selection of Lawrence that drew criticism from Saban, who failed to hide his shock at the pick.
When the ESPN broadcast returned from a commercial break moments before the Cowboys' pick was announced, the seven-time national champion was caught on a hot mic saying: 'This is a reach'.
In football terms, that means Saban was surprised the Cowboys drafted Lawrence so high and believed he would fall much lower.
Saban quickly realized what he had done and tried to laugh it off before explaining his reaction.
'Well, you know, I hate to use that word but, actually, this guy was one of my sleepers for tomorrow (Rounds 2 and 3),' a red-faced Saban said.
As part of the deal with the Philadelphia Eagles to move back a few spots, Dallas got two fourth-round picks in exchange for the 20th pick and a seventh-round choice.
The 6-foot-5, 253-pound Lawrence had seven sacks among a career-high 11 tackles for loss as a senior at UCF.
He was one of four players in the Football Bowl Subdivision to have at least five sacks in each of the past three seasons.
Lawrence said he saw a mock draft that had Downs at 12 and him at 20 - the original positions the Cowboys held.
'So, it kind of like played that part in my head. Like, it kind of was there,' Lawrence said.
'But I didn't want to really think about it as much because like I said, I don't know how it was going to play out. But I'll say... it was crazy.'
The Cowboys were trying to bolster one of the NFL's worst defenses in the first round on Thursday.
They took no chances on getting a player they wanted in the supremely talented Downs and sent the 12th pick and two fifth-rounders to Miami to move up to get him.
'He was a prize for us sitting there,' owner and general manager Jones said.
'I was just thinking of the times that we've been the next pick and have somebody move up and get him. We had every reason to think that might be happening.'
Downs helped Ohio State win the national championship in 2024, including a victory over Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium.
