Cowboys Top 3 Minicamp Surprises: Nahshon, Connor & QB
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys’ No. 1 surprise player from OTAs and minicamp here at The Star?
Dallas may have even surprised itself with the performance of third-round rookie cornerback Nahshon Wright.
“I definitely have an aggressive approach because that’s who I am as a player. That’s just kind of like my nature,” said Wright, the Oregon State product who was not exactly a favorite of the “experts” when Dallas tabbed the 6-4 prospect with the No. 99 overall pick. “I’m just being physical and aggressive is what I try to do.”
It was just the “Underwear Olympics,” but there were in our eyes three top “surprises” during these workouts (as opposed to The Top 10 Performers, which we list here:
SURPRISE NO. 3: BACKUP QB - We certainly want to be wrong here, but we saw nothing in particular from Garrett Gilbert (or the guts behind him, Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci) to inspire confidence in negative “what-if” scenarios involving Dak Prescott.
Sources told us a month ago that Dallas was in the market for a vet No. 2 QB; now the market it’s so lacking in movement that Robert Griffin III is planning on going into broadcasting.
Gilbert locked in as the No. 2? Yes. We are surprised.
SURPRISE NO. 2: THE CONNORS - Connor Williams has spent his career as “The Starter Fans Want Replaced” - the heir to former safety Jeff Heath. This was supposed to be thx off-season when somebody - anybody - was finally superior to Williams, the former second-round pick from Texas who has instead become a fixture at left guard.
And he was a fixture in OTAs and minicamp, too.
Being “the best” of this group doesn’t automatically make him “good,” and Oxnard could mean another shot for Connor McGovern and other candidates. But even the Cowboys themselves are likely a bit surprised at Williams’ stature.
SURPRISE NO. 1: WRIGHT IS READY? - Is Wright a contender to start? That seems a bit much; he’s likely way behind savvy vet Anthony Brown … but for now he’s jumped ahead of second-round rookie Kelvin Joseph.
READ MORE: Cowboys CB Anthony Brown: From Punctured Lung to Leader
Said head coach Mike McCarthy: “ He’s made some plays. There are some technique things (to work on). … But yeah, I really like the way that he’s jumped in here. He’s been aggressive, competitive. Definitely what you’re looking for in your young guys.”
The next step, for Nahshon and the other “surprises”: Continue to hold their own in Oxnard, to the point where their stature is no longer a surprise.
READ MORE: Trade Gallup? Now?
