Most underrated Dallas Cowboys: DL Osa Odighizuwa

When you're talking about the Dallas Cowboys and their pass rush, the conversation begins and ends with Micah Parsons for some. Which is understandable to a point, given Parsons' ridiculous athletic gifts and production. But there's a lot more going on in those defensive fronts, formerly run by ex-defensive coordinator (and current Washington Commanders head coach) Dan Quinn, and now in the hands of new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Demarcus Lawrence has been a force for a long time. Rookie second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland has the potential to be a multi-gap disruptor. The team is hoping for more from second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith. And Sam Williams has shown something as a rotational edge-rusher.

But if there's one guy who holds that line together, it's probably Osa Odighizuwa, the 2021 third-round pick out of UCLA. Last season, Odighizuwa totaled three sacks, 10 quarterback hits, 31 quarterback hurries, and nine tackles for loss. He was a relative wrecking machine all over that defensive line, playing mostly at the tackle positions, but he also lined up on the edge for 16% of his snaps, and at nose tackle 3% of the time.

At 6'2' and 280 pounds, Odighizuwa has the strength to bull blockers back, but he really excels at moving through gaps as a running back would -- by getting skinny through double-teams, and timing his gap-shooting reps perfectly to attack the backfield.

It will be interesting to see how Odighizuwa performs in Zimmer's fronts, which will likely rely less on the stunts and games that are a hallmark of Quinn's concepts, but one thing's for sure -- the Cowboys' defense isn't the same without him in there.