Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli knew he was getting a promising player when the team drafted defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence out of Boise State in the second round of last month’s draft. But he didn’t know just how strong of a player he was getting.
Having watched Lawrence in minicamp this week, Marinelli admits he was surprised by the rookie’s power.
“This kid has some strength to him,” Marinelli told the team’s official website. “He’s a lot stronger than I thought he was. He’s got some power moves that he uses to his advantage. You don’t always see that from young guys. They have to get in (the weight room) and eventually it’s something they can add to their game. But he’s got that power right now. I think that’s going to help him this year.”
Also likely to help Lawrence this year are his daily battles in practice with Tyron Smith, widely considered one of the best left tackles in the game and a 2013 Pro Bowler.
“I think that’s really helped me. He’s a great player,” Lawrence said of Smith. “Things that worked in college don’t always work here. Guys like him have seen everything when it comes to moves. So you have to work harder to be better. I think I’ve done a good job with that. He might win some of them. I might win some, too. But overall, I think it’s going to be a good thing to face him every day.”
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