The Dallas Cowboys are searching for linebackers to pair with Micah Parsons in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft and it turns out on Wednesday, they are hosting one of the best in the class, former Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd. Lloyd is hailed by many analysts as the top linebacker in the 2022 draft class and with good reason, he was a back-to-back Butkus Award Finalist, the award given to the nation’s best linebacker. He was also named a 2021 Consensus First Team All-American, becoming only the tenth player in Utah program history to accomplish such a feat.
The freakish linebacker posted gaudy stats during the 2021-2022 campaign–racking up 111 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, and two touchdowns. His 22 tackles for loss last season led the Pac-12 conference. He finished his storied career in Utah with 43 tackles for loss, the fourth-most in program history. He also became one of six players in program history to snatch three-plus career interceptions return for touchdown.
PFF’s Mike Renner recently tweeted about Lloyd, “Someone may have created a Fred Warner clone to create Devin Lloyd.” That comparison isn’t very far off as Lloyd is clearly one of the elite prospects at his position in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s exceptional both as a tackler, pass rusher, and in pass coverage.
A few weeks ago, ESPN’s Todd McShay had Lloyd pegged to be selected as the first linebacker selected in the draft, slotting him to get picked 11th overall to the Washington Commanders. Per PFF, the gifted linebacker put himself in an elite class of Pac-12 linebackers since 2019: he ranks first in sacks (14), he’s first in total pressures (58), and also earned a 88.7 pass rush grade, first in the conference as well.
The Cowboys lost an emerging playmaker on their defense (Randy Gregory) to the Denver Broncos in free agency, so it makes sense why they would be interested in Lloyd’s playmaking ability.
Lloyd was a hidden gem of a linebacker coming out of high school
As a high school prospect, Lloyd was a great example of finding a hidden gem in the recruiting process. Coming out of Otay Ranch High School (Chula Vista, California), he was rated as a three-star prospect, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings for the 2017 cycle. Lloyd was rated as the No. 192 linebacker prospect in America, according to the same rankings. He didn’t even move to linebacker until he arrived at Utah, which demonstrates just how much he’s worked to develop his craft over time. Credit to the Utah coaching staff for recognizing where his skill set would be best utilized on the football field and developing those skills over time.
