Cowboys Rumors: Marshawn Kneeland Compared to Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence in Dallas

The Dallas Cowboys see "shades of" four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence in No. 56 draft pick Marshawn Kneeland, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler described Kneeland as "a player who can win with speed or power and can stop the run."

The former Western Michigan edge rusher recorded career highs with 57 tackles, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles during his senior season.

Kneeland played as a tight end and linebacker before transitioning to defensive end during his four seasons as a starter at Western Michigan.

This isn't the first time the Cowboys have compared Kneeland to Lawrence, who is coming off of his second consecutive Pro Bowl campaign after recording 4.0 sacks, six passes defensed and one forced fumble for Dallas in 2023.

"The more you watch him, the more you see NFL traits and the traits that we are looking for on the defensive side; playing hard all the time and having the ability to rush the passer outside and inside," Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Will McClay said about the decision to draft Kneeland, per DallasCowboys.com's Patrik Walker. "We've talked about it before, as hard as DLaw [DeMarcus Lawrence] played at Boise State, there are some similarities there. That is what we thought about him."

Kneeland will slot in the Cowboys' depth chart behind Lawrence and Micah Parsons for now, but Dallas could be hoping he will be ready to become a starter in 2025.

Lawrence's contract is currently set to expire after the 2024 season, and the Cowboys' evaluation of Kneeland indicates the team believes they might have already found his replacement.