2017 NFL Scouting combine: 10 DE participants to watch for the Dallas Cowboys
6 of 10
Derek Rivers, Youngstown State (6’4″, 250)
Derek Rivers is the player I’m looking forward to watching the most at the NFL combine. I really want to see if he looks out of place with some of these prospects coming from bigger schools. As a small school prospect, he has a lot to prove if he wants to solidify himself as one of the better DEs in this draft class.
Rivers has the size and athleticism 4-3 teams look for in their DEs, but the fact he didn’t face a lot of elite competition has a lot of people questioning how successful he will be at the next level.
Rivers is explosive as a pass rusher, but sometimes has trouble disengaging from blockers. There is also a little bit of stiffness to his game that I find concerning as well. If he can have a good showing at the combine, he could be in play at 60 for the Dallas Cowboys, but he could possibly still be there in the third round for them at 92.
