{"id":63765,"date":"2025-06-24T09:27:24","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=63765"},"modified":"2025-06-24T09:27:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T09:27:24","slug":"who-is-tommy-akingbesote-5-things-to-know-about-the-cowboys-defensive-tackle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=63765","title":{"rendered":"Who is Tommy Akingbesote? 5 things to know about the Cowboys\u2019 defensive tackle"},"content":{"rendered":"
With their final picks in the 2025 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys addressed some needs along their defensive line.<\/p>\n

After taking UCLA\u2019s Jay Toia, Dallas doubled down at defensive tackle by selecting Maryland\u2019s Tommy Akingbesote at 247th overall. Akingbesote was the final player the Cowboys selected in this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

Here are five things to know about Akingbesote:<\/p>\n

1. The basics<\/h2>\n

Name:<\/b> Tommy Akingbesote<\/p>\n

Position:<\/b> Defensive tackle<\/p>\n

Height:<\/b> 6-3 Weight:<\/b> 306 pounds<\/p>\n

College:<\/b> Maryland<\/p>\n

Hometown:<\/b> Largo, Maryland<\/p>\n

High school:<\/b> Charles Herbert Flowers High School (Springdale, Maryland)<\/p>\n

2. His football career got sort of a late start<\/h2>\n

Akingbesote didn\u2019t start playing football until his junior year of high school. While he still had a lot to learn, it didn\u2019t take him long to pick up on the nuances of playing on the defensive line.<\/p>\n

He decided to try his hand at football after realizing he wasn\u2019t going to play basketball at the Division I level.<\/p>\n

Akingbesote quickly developed into a four-star prospect, ranking as the 20th-best defensive lineman in the class of 2021. According to 247Sports, Akingbesote held offers from schools like Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Pittsburgh and South Carolina.<\/p>\n

3. An encouraging sign for Cowboys fans?<\/h2>\n

Akingbesote seems pretty fond of a particular aspect of his position. Shortly after he was drafted, he told reporters he wants to focus on bringing physicality to Dallas\u2019 defensive line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take pride in stopping the run, but I\u2019m trying to develop my pass rush, so I\u2019m here to get developed and stop that run,\u201d Akingbesote said.<\/p>\n

Akingbesote finished the 2024 season with 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack.<\/p>\n

4. He\u2019s already a Dallas Stars fan<\/h2>\n

Akingbesote was one of multiple Dallas athletes to make an appearance at American Airlines Center during the Stars\u2019 2025 playoff run. The defensive tackle was mic\u2019d up for one of the Stars\u2019 Western Conference finals games against Edmonton, along with teammate Donovan Ezeiruaku.<\/p>\n

Akingbesote seemed pretty excited to take in the postseason hockey atmosphere.<\/p>\n

5. Take a look at some of his Maryland highlights<\/h2>\n

Want to know what to expect from the Cowboys\u2019 seventh-rounder ahead of his first NFL training camp? The Big Ten compiled a few of his highlights before he was drafted.<\/p>\n

Take a look at some of Akingbesote\u2019s top plays below:<\/p>\n