The Dallas Cowboys made a surprise selection in this season's supplemental draft Thursday, choosing 6-2, 320 defensive lineman Joshua Price-Brent out of Illinois in the seventh round. By making the selection, the Cowboys forfeited their corresponding pick in the 2011 draft. Price was one of two selections in the draft - both in the seventh round. The Chicago Bears picked running back Harvey Unga out of BYU.
Price-Brent has a troubled recent past and needs some work before he's ready to see an NFL field, according to Fanhouse:
Price-Brent was declared academically ineligible for the 2010 season at Illinois. Prior to that, in two years as a starter, he totaled 71 tackles and five sacks for the Illini. He's kind of a "tweener" on the defensive line -- at 6-foot-2 and about 320 pounds, there are questions concerning his strength and if he could hold his own as an NFL defensive tackle. Sliding him to the outside in a 3-4 scheme, a second option, would turn Price-Brent into even more of a project.
According to DallasNews.com, he's not exactly a speed demon.
The 6-foot-2, 321-pounder was clocked in 5.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash on two separate occasions at a recent workout.
More importantly, he needs to improve his strength. Rob Rang:
He has the size to hold up inside, but he doesn't have great strength - he only had 21 reps at the 225-pound bench press at his private workout, and that would have been the worst of any defensive tackle over 295 pounds that was invited to this year's scouting combine.
Rang did point out that his stock seemed to be on the rise late.
There is talk that Price-Brent is earning 4th round grades from some scouts -- though I'd be surprised, quite frankly, if any player was picked this high. Detroit, New Orleans, San Francisco, St. Louis and Green Bay are all thought to be interested. The value of the defensive tackle position, Price-Brent's size (6-2, 321) and his 20 career starts under respected coach Ron Zook were all given as reasons why the big run-stuffer is generating some late buzz.