Bradlee Anae was one of the best value picks of the 2020 NFL draft
When the third round of the NFL draft came and went, it was somewhat surprising that former Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae was still available.
Not the most athletic or with the best 40-yard dash time — which is one of the reasons Anae dropped so much in the draft — he is simply relentless and gets the job done. So any team that would be lucky to have him.
But then the fourth round came and went and Anae had yet to receive that phone call letting him know that his dream was accomplished and that he was and NFL player — which was downright shocking.
Finally, with the 179th overall pick in the fifth round, the Dallas Cowboys came to the rescue and drafted Anae.
“Getting the phone call and talking to Jerry Jones, it was crazy. ... All I could say was ‘Yes sir, thank you sir.’ I was pretty speechless but just an exciting time and it feels surreal to be a part of this organization,” Anae told KHON2 sports director Rob DeMello in Hawaii. “It was pretty unexpected to fall down where I fell. ... Nobody would’ve guessed that but it’s just a blessing. I was thinking about it the other day that it was just a blessing to be a part of the NFL and to even have a shot like this. For me, it’s underdog mentality forever and just can’t wait to get going.”
It's hard to determine if there was a better value pick than this considering he had a third round grade on him by most mock drafts, and definitely wasn't expected to last longer than the fourth round.
But there he was, and the Cowboys has no choice but to pick up Utah's carer sack leader and will now try to mold him into a valuable part of their revamped defensive line.
“The Cowboys just drafted a consensus All-American pass rusher with a compensatory pick at the end of the fifth round. Hard to argue with that,” Dallas Cowboys writer Rob Phillips said following Anae's selection.
Anae is currently listed as third on the depth chart behind starters DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford and backups Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory.
Both Smith and Gregory are serving indefinite suspensions and while they're expected to be back this season, it's not official. Also, Crawford battled injuries last season, making Anae's selection valuable to the Cowboys for not only immediate depth, but someone who could project to be a starter if he develops in the manner he's expected too.
Physical and with great use of his hands, Anae racked up 13 sacks as a senior, 11 of which came on the right side against opposing left tackles. I think that's where he fits best in the NFL and where he'll get most of his opportunities.
Based on this, Luke Easterling of DraftWire has chosen Anae as Dallas' steal of the draft, and one of the best overall value picks. The Cowboys are looking to take the next step forward into Super Bowl contenders, and Anae's development could become a huge part of that forward movement for Dallas' revamped defense.