Could this Cowboys 7th-round rookie supplant recent 1st rounder?

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t stick to the proverbial script when it came to their 2025 draft class. The team had clear needs entering the weekend, but instead of trying to find the best available player at those key positions, Dallas simply took the best available player, needs be ignored. The team didn’t take a wide receiver at all, waited until the fifth round to select a running back and the seventh round to select a nose tackle.

That NT was UCLA’s Jay Toia, an interesting pick to say the least. The Cowboys desperately need a man in the middle to line up next to their newly re-signed star three-technique Osa Odighizuwa; someone capable of commanding a double team and still producing. The question is whether or not Toia will be that guy, at all, much less in his rookie season. Dallas didn’t throw any darts at the wall in free agency, and continued their trend of not throwing resources out the spot over the last decade outside of 2023 first-round pick Mazi Smith. Toia will have a great chance to earn snaps as a rookie.

Rundown

Could this Cowboys 7th-round rookie supplant recent 1st rounder? — Nov 30, 2024; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Jay Toia (93) during the second quarter against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Position: Defensive Tackle

Age: 26

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 342 pounds

Hometown: Inglewood, CA

High School: Grace Brethren (Simi Valley, CA)

College: UCLA (Highlight Video)

Draft: 2025, Sixth-round pick No. 217

Acquired: 2025 Draft

Contract: Four-year deal (2025), $4.35 million includes signing bonus of $153K

2025 Base Salary: $840,000 | Cap Hit $878k

Profile

Toia is the annual flyer on a Day 3 nose tackle the Cowboys have become accustomed to. The hope, every year, is that they discover the next Jay Ratliff. Can Toia be that guy? He certainly has some enticing traits as he does have atypical movement for someone over 340 pounds. For evidence of whether or not he’s doing his job well, look at how impressive the Bruins’ linebacker corps looks. They were often clean, and Toia seems to be a heavy contributing factor there.

Dallas hasn’t declared whether or not they’ll retain Mazi Smith as their starting one-technique or try to use him in the role of backup three-technique. That will likely be the deciding factor in just how many snaps Toia could see this season, if he’s able to latch onto the roster.

Aside from those two, the cupboard is rather thin at NT with Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon both being longshots of making the roster. By the time training camp ends, the Cowboys could perceivably have brought in a couple veterans to man the fort, but Toia will likely be in the team’s plans in some capacity.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 93 Jay Toia