When your defense surrenders 273 yards rushing, ending your postseason run - that tends to leave a mark. And after years of looking for cheap resources at defensive tackle, the Cowboys decided enough was enough and decided it was time to get a monster in the middle. And that’s exactly what they got with Central Florida’s Trysten Hill. The 2019 draft features a ridiculously deep class of defensive tackles and the Cowboys were able to land one of the last remaining stud 3-tech’s on the board. At 6’3”, 308 pounds, Hill carries with him not only a lot of size, but also a lot athleticism. He has great first-step explosiveness and nice pass rushing traits the team loves in a 3-tech defensive tackle. He plays with violence and shoots the gap with the best of them. With strong hands and great footwork, Hill can flat out move. While he offers a great presence to get after the quarterback, he is also a good run defender. He has a never-give-up motor and can be seen chasing down ball carriers when it looks like he has no business even being in the play. The talent is there and this is a high upside pick, but Hill comes with some concerns. He had issues with the coaching staff that cost him his starting role his final season. This would be a reason for pause, but the Cowboys spent so much time with him so they have a great feel for what they’re getting as a person. Of course there are whispers that the coaching staff did him wrong at times. UCF's misusage of Trysten Hill is one of the worst things I've seen while studying 2018 tape. Best player becomes a backup, THEN balls out in the conf. champ game and you STILL don't start him. Just amazing by Josh Heupel and Co. — Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 11, 2019 Fundamentally, Hill has a few warts. He plays with a little reckless abandon at times. He’ll over-pursue and doesn’t always have plan of attack. His lack of purpose can run himself out of plays at times. He’ll give way a little in leverage and doesn’t possess enough power to anchor down. Hill will pop up sometimes, compromising his pad level. If he’s not disciplined, he will be susceptible to getting washed out by double teams. Our own Connor Livesay provided his scouting report a couple weeks ago. Overall Review: In a day [and] age where teams are looking for their interior defensive lineman to live in the backfield, Trysten Hill is a perfect mold for that role. Hill is one of the more explosive defensive linemen in this years draft class holding the best vertical, best 20-yard shuttle, and second best broad-jump, and for 300lb + defensive lineman at the combine. Would fit perfectly in Rod Marinelli’s defense as a one-gapping 3-technique. Reminds a bit of Maliek Collins when coming out of Nebraska, but athletic traits gives Hill a higher ceiling as a pass rusher. Athleticism, upfield penetrating skills, and pass rush ability are never questioned with Hill, but his consistency as a run defender, pad level, lack of instincts, and character concerns may force him down the board a few rounds later than his tape would suggest. This move helps the Cowboys financially as well as they have three defensive tackles playing on the last year of their contract - Maliek Collins, Antwaun Woods, and recently acquired Christian Covington. Now, they’ll have a fresh new defensive tackle on a cheap rookie deal. What do you think of the Trysten Hill pick?<doc-sep>With their first selection in the 2019 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys selected defensive tackle Trysten Hill out of UCF at pick No. 58. He looks to become another bull in the pen along the Cowboys stout defensive line. Rod Marinelli must be licking his chops now that he has the opportunity to help build another varied pass rusher in the trenches. The Cowboys threw a curveball by going defnsive tackle instead of looking at the safety slot, but without question the Cowboys really wanted Hill at this spot. His highlights and game tape reveals a player that is adept at penetrating as a true 3-technique. He could supplant Maliek Collins and is a player that could be on the rise now that he is in Dallas. And of course, he showed out against Memphis in the AAC Championship game. Showcasing his ability to be aggressive at the point of attack and made various plays in the backfield. After grabbing Hill in the second round the Cowboys could be adding some more firepower on defense moving forward. The night is still young and the team might be walking away with an upgrade at defensive tackle. With DeMarcus Lawrence by his side, Hill could use his interior pass rushing skills to great effect.<doc-sep>The decision appears to be a good one for the Dallas Cowboys. They could've taken any one of several top safety talents still on the board when they went on the clock with the 58th-overall pick, and they very nearly did. It truly came down to safety or grabbing defensive lineman Trysten Hill, formerly of the University of Central Florida, and their chips ultimately landed on maintaining a focus on building their defensive from front to back. It's the right way to construct a defense, seeing as a stellar pass rush makes the secondary better by default, and the club believes inserting Hill into a lineup that also features DeMarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn and Antwaun Woods truly takes them to the next level. [Trysten Hill reacts to be selected by Dallas Cowboys] Former Super Bowl-winning lineman Willie McGinest agrees, and made his thoughts on Hill known immediately following the pick. You'll need to fast forward to the 0:41 mark in the video. In this NFL Network clip from early March, Willie McGinest talks about new #Cowboys draft pick @trystenhill9, and says "he moves really well... good feet, explosive, strong hands," and says he can play a lot of places on the defensive line. pic.twitter.com/hatYrmWzxF — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) April 27, 2019 "This kid right here — Trysten Hill — when I looked at how athletic he was and how big he was, I was really impressed," McGinest said. "When you're playing in the trenches, you look at a guy like [Michael Bennett] — guys like that that are explosive — he moves really well. I wasn't really concerned with what he did out in space, but [instead] what he did in the box. [He has] good feet and explosive hands. "A guy like that can move over to the guard or play on the defensive end, or you can play him over the center. He can do a lot of different things." The Cowboys certainly see it that way as well, and Hill will get a chance to make an instant impact in 2019 and beyond.<doc-sep>
For the second straight year, the Dallas Cowboys locked into a defensive prospect and found their guy, surviving a flurry of trades prior to the 58th overall pick before drafting Central Florida defensive tackle Trysten Hill. The Cowboys interest in Hill as a long-term solution for the 3-technique position began early in this draft process. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli worked out the frenetic pass rusher at his Pro Day, and the Cowboys brought in Hill for an official pre-draft visit. Losing a promising finish to the 2018 season at the hands of Todd Gurley and the LA Rams wrecking the Cowboys defensive line, this win-now offseason has included an extension for DeMarcus Lawrence, the signing of Robert Quinn, and now a priority draft pick at DT in Hill. Let’s get to know the latest Cowboys draft pick. 1. Hill is the first Cowboys draft pick out of Central Florida Not only did the Cowboys buck one draft trend by prioritizing defensive tackle, but they did so with their first ever selection out of Central Florida. Hill is also the 13th Cowboys draft pick in the last 14 years to take an official visit with the team. Entering the UCF talent pool at the right time, as Hill was a key member of their self-proclaimed national championship, the Cowboys had three-time All Pro DT Ed Jones announce their most recent interior pass rusher. The Cowboys don’t need Hill to be Too Tall Jones, especially given the talent he’ll be surrounded with as Marinelli molds him into a polished player. Continue…