Position battleground (rookies): Cowboys vs. Steelers breakdown for draft picks/UDFAs

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Both Dallas and Pittsburgh are relying heavily upon rookies this season.

Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other.

(Grades for each player are the overall offensive of defensive grade handed out by PFF.com)

Dallas Cowboys

Tyler Guyton

First Round
It comes with territory when playing left tackle, but this week Guyton will get some reps against another pass rush talent in T.J. Watt. In fairness to Guyton, last week’s penalty count is both frustrating and out of his control. Every lineman holds to a degree on every play (watch the Eagles offensive line) and some of those calls last week were suspect. Guyton is improving, but the learning curve is steep for a guy playing such a pivotal position. So far this year, Guyton has allowed four sacks, which is second-most among tackles. But what is interesting is he’s allowed 11 total pressures, which is one less than Tyron Smith.
Grade: 52.7

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Marshawn Kneeland

Second Round
Get ready for plenty of Marshawn Kneeland with DeMarcus Lawrence heading to injured reserve. Week 1 has been Kneeland’s best game this year, but last week he did well making three tackles and two important defensive stops. His run stopping will be crucial this week against Justin Fields who loves to scramble frequently and head upfield. With the added problem of Micah Parsons missing and Sam Williams who was lost before the season started, Kneeland suddenly becomes the key player to rush the quarterback and get into the backfield.
Grade: 54.2

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Cooper Beebe

Third Round
Beebe did well as a pass blocker last week allowing no pressures or sacks, and that was up against Dexter Lawrence. He will need to find similar form this week as he will face a number of able pass rushing defensive tackles at Pittsburgh’s disposal. Where Beebe has issues this year has been in run blocking where he’s struggled to be the aggressor. Establishing the run has been an issue for Dallas this season but that’s down to a multitude of problems, but one of them has been Beebe’s lack of push inside.
Grade: 56.8

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Marist Liufau

Third Round
Liufau had a good game last week and made three good tackles along with two smartly played defensive stops. While the rest of Dallas’ defense has had issues with tackling and falling off runners, Liufau is one of the few defenders on the roster that has yet to register a missed tackle. On 103 defensive snaps, Liufau has made eight tackles and one tackle for loss and zero missed tackles.
Grade: 46.7

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Caelen Carson

Fifth Round
Carson is hopeful to play this weekend but Mike McCarthy has noted that he needs to see more from him in practice before giving him the go ahead. Keep an eye on his practice designation heading into the weekend and then the inactive list on Sunday.
Grade: 57.9

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Ryan Flournoy

Sixth Round
Inactive (Will more than likely be active this week with Bradin Cooks out)
Grade: N/A

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Brevyn Spann-Ford

UDFA
With Jake Ferguson back from injury and heavily involved in grinding out last week’s win, Ford had his lowest snap count this season. He came in on five snaps and exclusively as a run blocker. Until anything changes at the tight end position expect this role to remain consistent with Ford as well as special team duties.
Grade: 51.5

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Pittsburgh Steelers

Troy Fautanu

First Round
Steelers fans had high hopes and were ecstatic when this pick came in. Unfortunately, the Washington Huskie standout tackle went down during practice two weeks ago with a knee injury. It was later revealed he had a tear inside his knee along with dislocating his knee cap. He was placed on injured reserve and shut down for the year.
Grade: 64.4

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Zach Frazier

Second Round
Frazier has been the team’s starting center, but last week he had a bad mistake with a very bad snap that came with Justin Fields not yet ready. Frazier was one of the premium inside offensive linemen in this year’s draft and Mike Tomlinson really wanted to rebuild the line going back-to-back at the position in the draft. He’s a physical run blocker with good size and strength, but the questions for him lay in his pass protection and his snap awareness.
Grade: 79.4

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Roman Wilson

Third Round
Inactive
Grade: N/A

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Payton Wilson

Third Round
Wilson is averaging 26 snaps per game on defense, and given his injury history and issues he had in college with health, having a relative snap count would serve him well this year for longevity. He’s totaled just 11 tackles this year but his lateral speed and excellent tackling technique will be something the Pittsburgh coaches will want to unleash. He’s best comparable to Sean Lee in nearly every way.
Grade: 66.7

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Mason McCormick

Fourth Round
Thanks to a string of injuries, McCormick has been thrown in the deep end the last two weeks. Last week he stepped in as the starting left guard and allowed one pressure and no sacks off 44 passing sets. His run blocking needs work, particularly in his footwork from watching last week’s game. He also looked gassed as the game went on.
Grade: 54.2

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Logan Lee

Sixth Round
On injured reserve
Grade: N/A

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Ryan Watts

Sixth Round
On injured reserve
Grade: N/A

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