Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer had dinner with these Texas Tech draft prospects
The Dallas Cowboys caravan of head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Christian Parker, vice president of player personnel Will McClay and more wrapped up their four-day Pro Day trip on Thursday with an afternoon in Lubbock at Texas Tech.
After visiting Miami on Monday, Texas on Tuesday and Texas A&M on Wednesday, the group picked up pass rush specialist B.T. Jordan and made the trip west to Lubbock on Wednesday night to meet with a group of Red Raiders over dinner before their Pro Day event on Thursday morning. Attendees at that dinner included linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, defensive tackle Lee Hunter, defensive end Romello Height, wide receiver Caleb Douglas and more.
“It was good,” Rodriguez said. “We cracked some jokes and had a lot of good times. It was fun. It was really great to be in a building and sit and have dinner with a head coach in the NFL. Five-year-old me or 10-year-old me would be really proud and really happy. I was proud to be there, and I loved the conversations.”
On Thursday, Rodriguez just participated in the bench press and directed his other testing to his solid performance at the NFL Combine last month. The defensive linemen highlighted the on-field performance, though, as Hunter and Height joined expected top-five pick David Bailey and defensive tackle Skyler Gill-Howard for position drills with all 32 NFL teams looking on.
Dallas Cowboys begin big 30-visit weekend
The Cowboys’ contingency in Lubbock took a quick 45-minute flight back to Dallas-Fort Worth to begin a busy weekend of prospect visits at The Star in Frisco. Among the expected prospects in attendance this weekend include Height, LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, Miami cornerback Keionte Scott and Louisville defensive tackle Rene Konga.
“I’m going to hunt the quarterback,” Height said on Thursday about what he will bring to the NFL. “We’re going to stop drives, and we’re going to win games.”
The visits will continue through next weekend, as the NFL permits teams to welcome in 30 non-local prospects and an unlimited number of prospects that either graduated from high school or attended college in the metro area. For the Cowboys, that would obviously extend to any qualifying player in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The local day is expected to take place for Dallas next week.
Once the prospect visits conclude, it will be full steam ahead for the draft on April 23.
Zac Taylor attends Texas Tech Pro Day
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was in Lubbock, Texas on Thursday for Texas Tech’s Pro Day, according to Cowboys beat reporter Joseph Hoyt. Taylor was one of four head coaches in attendance, along with Brian Schottenheimer, Kellen Moore, and Aaron Glenn.
The Aggies boast several defensive prospects that are predicted to be selected in the first three rounds of April’s upcoming draft, including edge rusher David Bailey, who is likely to be the first pass rusher off the board. In most mock drafts, he’s taken ahead of the No. 10 overall pick, when the Bengals go on the clock.
There’s also defensive tackle Lee Hunter. He has the potential to be an early-down space eater at nose tackle. He projects to be a Day 2 pick, likely in the second round.
There’s also linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, as well as edge rusher Romello Height. Rodriguez, another projected Day 2 pick, was massively productive for Texas Tech’s defense after initially entering college as an offensive player. Considering the Bengals’ struggles at the linebacker position last year, adding to that room could help.
Height is undersized for the NFL, at least for now, but he’s a relentless and athletic pass rusher. He needs time to polish, but he could potentially add talent to a room already dripping with it.
Other notable Aggies heading into the NFL, possibly via the draft, are wide receiver Reggie Virgil, safety Cole Wisniewski, defensive lineman Skyler Gill-Howard, and wide receiver Caleb Douglas. There are also a handful of players who could sign as undrafted free agents.
It’s likely Taylor had his eye on everyone, but the defensive side of the ball cannot hold back the offense anymore. Considering the talented defenders coming out of Texas Tech, it’s likely Taylor had his eyes on Bailey, Hunter, Rodriguez, and Height.
Brian Schottenheimer Receives Clear Advice From NFL Legend Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft
The Dallas Cowboys had the worst pass defense in the NFL last season and they know it. Fixing the secondary is the priority this offseason and with multiple picks in the 2026 NFL Draft the Cowboys have real options to work with.
Monday’s Pro Day at the University of Miami drew over 100 NFL personnel and Dallas showed up in force. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Christian Parker and vice president of player personnel Will McClay were all in Coral Gables.
Miami has some of the better defensive prospects in this class including two pass rushers drawing serious first-round attention.
(Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)
Cowboys legend Michael Irvin was also on hand. The former Miami star has stayed close to the program and was a regular presence during their National Championship run this season.
Standing next to Schottenheimer at Pro Day, Irvin made his pitch loud and clear.
“Coach and I @CanesFootball Pro Day. I told Coach we need as many guys as we can get from the U,” Irvin posted on X alongside a photo with the head coach.
Hard to argue with him on that one. Dallas has a genuine need at nickel corner and one Miami defensive back in particular put himself squarely on the Cowboys’ radar Monday.
Keionte Scott ran an unofficial 4.25-second 40-yard dash at Pro Day though some scouts on site clocked him between 4.30 and 4.35. Either way the speed is real and his game film backs it up. Scott is considered one of the better nickel corner prospects in this class and given what Dallas is looking to fix in the secondary he fits the profile well.
On the pass rush side defensive end Reuben Bain Jr. finished his final college season with 54 tackles and 9.5 sacks and projects as an early draft pick. The Cowboys hold the 12th overall selection and Bain may be off the board by then. His versatility and ability to get after the quarterback make him an attractive prospect but availability could be the issue.
Akheem Mesidor is another name worth watching. He actually outproduced Bain this past season with 63 tackles and 12.5 sacks but questions about his age and injury history have pushed his stock down. The No. 20 range is where evaluators currently see him landing which could put him in play for Dallas later in the first round.