Rank'Em
Rank 'Em: Top players from Oxnard
Like every year, there were plenty of standouts – some from the guys you would expect and others that are rookies or young players battling for a roster spot.
But here are the Top 10 players from Oxnard, voting on by a panel that spent nearly every practice in California:
Honorable Mention: Zack Martin – There's usually nothing about Zack Martin that finds him in the "honorable mention" section. But in this case, as a guard in the trenches, practicing where it's never a live contact drill, it's going to be difficult for Martin to get noticed a lot, especially to meet the lofty standards that goes with an eight-time Pro Bowler. Martin rarely got beat at all, suggesting he'll be just fine again for the 2024 season.
Honorable Mention: Marist Liafau – On the flip side of Zack Martin, Liafau is a rookie just trying to find his way. And for the most part, he found the football. You can see why he was picked in the third round and learning from veteran Eric Kendricks, Liafau showed enough signs that he's going to be a value pick by the Cowboys.
Honorable Mention: DeMarvion Overshown – While he's not a rookie, there were similar expectations and unknown about Overshown, who missed all of last year with an ACL injury. Overshown was able to practice from the start of camp, without any hesitation and he finds himself next to the football, a trait that goes hand-in-hand with playing linebacker.
10. DaRon Bland – One of the early highlights of camp was a diving interception by Bland, who picked off Dak Prescott in a team drill. Bland quickly got up without being touched and raced to the end zone in his usual Pick-6 style. Bland didn't make interceptions every day, but he wasn't getting beat often and looks ready to take the next step after an All-Pro season.
9. Caelen Carson – If someone took advantage of Trevon Diggs getting limited work as he returns from a knee injury, it was Carson. The rookie from Wake Forest made the most of the extra reps, and even did enough to allow the Cowboys to trade Nahshon Wright in the middle of camp for Anthony Booth. Carson was able to slide into first-team reps at times during practice. If this his floor, there seems to be a big ceiling for Carson.
8. Tyler Guyton – Ditto for this rookie on having a large ceiling, which Guyton always needs with his 6-8 frame. But he makes this list even despite missing a week due to an illness. When he came back, he was moved into the starting lineup and now has taken over at left tackle, which was the plan all along. In the reps he's gotten against No. 1 pass-rushers such as Micah Parsons in practice or the Rams' Jared Verse or even Maxx Crosby in the games, Guyton has held up to the challenge.
7. Tyler Smith – Similar to Zack Martin, where the guards aren't always valued in the same mode as the skill players, but Smith was near flawless in camp. He doesn't get beat often in the reps, if ever, and he shows his strength in just about every blocking drill he conducts. In his third season and second season at guard, Smith seems ready to stack another Pro Bowl season on his resume.
6. Jourdan Lewis – You can always hear Lewis from the practice fields but he's constantly talking. But he's always backing it up as well. Lewis has turned into one of the better slot corners in the NFL for the way he competes and fights for the ball. He did that plenty in camp, having some memorable battles with Brandin Cooks.
5. Jalen Tolbert – If there was a silver lining in CeeDee Lamb not being in camp, it was the emergence of Tolbert, who started with the first-team offense. Tolbert looks way more comfortable in his third pro season and should be a difference maker once Lamb returns to the offense and takes even more attention from the defense.
4. Brandin Cooks – In the same breath as Tolbert's jump, Cooks did the same. Now, he's a 10-year veteran but his leap was more from a No. 1 standpoint. Cooks likely is going to challenge Lamb for that spot, but he showed the ability to take over if needed. Cooks still has that top-end speed and he's developed a rapport with Dak, especially with those goal-line fade routes to the corner that we saw near the end of the last year and several times at camp.
3. Eric Kendricks – So much for being the new guy. When it comes to learning Mike Zimmer's defense, Kendricks was already ahead of everyone, based on his time with the Vikings. And it showed early and often at camp. Kendricks is going to be a difference-maker against the run, evident by him sniffing out several run plays from the Cowboys, and even the Rams in the two joint practices.
2. Dak Prescott – This is where you want your quarterback to be after a training camp – atop the list. Prescott was crisp with the ball in just about every drill. He seems to be throwing the ball even harder at this point in his career, and pushed the ball down the field more than we've seen in the past. Prescott has always been a player that can throw on the run and the accuracy he showed during those moments at camp suggests he's ready for Week 1 in Cleveland.
1. Micah Parsons – Again, this is where the superstars need to be. Micah was the best player at camp – so much so that he messed up quite a bit of plays with his quickness to get to the quarterback. Parsons never touched the "red jerseys" but there were countless times when he was standing next to Dak, or Cooper Rush, in the middle of play as he looked for a target down the field. The Cowboys got to the point where they just let the play develop instead of blowing the whistle every time. The exciting part of watching Parsons is that he was rushing the quarterback from both sides of the edge and sometimes from the linebacker spot. Mike Zimmer will line him up all over the place but the end result – being around the ball – seems to be the common theme.
