The Cowboys struck gold in the 2021 NFL draft when they selected linebacker Micah Parsons with the 12th overall pick. Three rounds later, they took Jabril Cox out of LSU, giving them two of the best linebackers coming out of the college ranks.

Parsons won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and was named a first-team All-Pro. Unfortunately, Cox suffered a torn ACL in Week 8. With Cox expected to be ready for the upcoming season, he and Parsons will make quite the duo at linebacker.

Dallas hasn't stopped there when it comes to building the linebacker room. In the fifth round of the 2022 draft, the Cowboys took another LSU product in Damone Clark, giving them a stockpile of talent on the second level of their defense.

Clark was expected to miss his entire rookie season. However, the Cowboys say he is ahead of schedule and expect him to hit the field at some point in 2022, giving the Cowboys an embarrassment of riches at linebacker if he can play.

Parsons will split his duties at linebacker and edge rusher. This will allow Clark, who is versatile enough to play all three linebacker spots, to spend a lot of his time at middle linebacker for the Cowboys which will free up Parsons to get after the quarterback. Clark, although it isn't his strongest attribute, showed he can rush the passer also as he registered 10 sacks over his final three seasons at LSU.

Clark also possesses the speed and athleticism to play sideline to sideline against the run and in be effective in coverage. Speaking of coverage, that's where Cox excelled in college. According to PFF, Cox didn’t allow a single touchdown nor was he penalized in 352 coverage snaps during his one season at LSU. In 1,114 coverage snaps in college, Cox only allowed two touchdowns and recorded eight interceptions which are quite impressive, to say the least.

Much like Parsons and Clark, Cox is excellent against the run and does a good job of tackling out in space. He tallied 15 sacks in college also, making him quite the well-rounded player. This means the Cowboys have three linebackers with tons of versatility.

The Cowboys line up in nickel a lot with two linebackers. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn can let Parsons and any combination of Clark and Cox man the early downs and use Parsons as a pass rush while dropping Clark and Cox in coverage on passing downs.

Dallas also has some veteran presence in their linebacker room. 2018 first-round pick Leighton Vander Esch did enough to earn a one-year prove-it deal with the Cowboys in March after his fifth-year option wasn't picked due to his injury history. Also, Luke Gifford is a decent depth piece and provides special teams value (logged 586 snaps in three seasons).

Dallas used their final pick in last week's draft to take linebacker Derek Harper out of Oklahoma State. Harper has good speed (ran 4.49 in the 40-yard dash) and posted a 40.5-inch vertical jump. He'll likely be on special teams to start as he develops, but his high upside and athleticism could earn some snaps on defense as well.

It will be interesting to see how Parsons, Cox, and Clark gel together as a trio. With Vander Esch, Gifford, and Harper in the mix, the Cowboys can turn the linebacker position into one of their strongest position groups in 2022 if health permits it.

Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports