Devin Harper will need to build on redshirt rookie year for Cowboys

The Cowboys selected linebacker Devin Harper from Oklahoma State in the sixth round last season. The selection was seen as reach to some and more project than plug-and-play to most.

Harper tested fantastically in the pre-draft process. His relative athletic score (RAS) was 9.5 on a 0-10 scale with him earning elite status on the composite speed grade. It seemed as though he checked all the physical boxes for Will McClay and team, and possessed more than enough physical ability to play at the professional level.

It wasn’t until 2021, Harper’s sixth college season (a college career that featured a redshirt season and a COVID season), where he really took on a prominent role on defense. His final season, he finished second on the team in tackles and second team All-Academic for the Big 12.

He was cast on the Cowboys as a special teams weapon from the start. At 24-years-old, he was relatively old for an NFL rookie, but he was viewed as a developmental role player nonetheless.

An Achilles injury ended his season prematurely.  Like the Matt Waletzko pick before him, Harper’s rookie season unfolded like a redshirt season and his NFL career would have to be put on hold.

Harper played in just three games in 2022, playing a big role on special teams (52 snaps) but not logging a single defensive snap.

Dallas remains fairly fluid at the linebacker position, which will likely help Harper’s odds of carving out a role on defense. Damone Clark is a virtual lock ahead of Harper on the depth chart but other than that, things could potentially open up. Leighton Vander Esch and Anthony Barr are free agents and Jabril Cox has yet to step up into his preordained role as a draft steal.

With no reason to think otherwise, Harper’s projection remains the same. He will likely be a special teams fixture in 2023 with an eye on a sub-package role on defense.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire