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Here's why the Dallas Cowboys should draft TCU's Brandon Coleman

Bill Jones sits down with TCU's Brandon Coleman
Bill Jones sits down with TCU's Brandon Coleman 09:48

FORT WORTH — We've spent long hours filling up our Big Green NFL Draft Scouting Notebook searching for the perfect draft prospects that can propel the Dallas Cowboys to greener pastures. 

In particular this year, the emphasis has been on finding ready-made replacements for the many Dallas departures in free agency.

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CBS Sports Texas/Bill Jones

And that has meant spending countless hours scouring through game film and college bios in search of the biggest, baddest, smartest and hardest-working offensive linemen in college football.

Well, as it turns out, the Big Green Notebook found one of the best right in our own backyard - on the TCU campus in Fort Worth.

We caught up with 6-foot-4.5, 313-pound Brandon Coleman in the TCU Football o-line room, which is where he spends a great amount of his spare time in the fall. It's the laboratory where Horned Frog offensive linemen break down video of their own performances and their upcoming opponents.

Coleman was a three-year starter for the Horned Frogs. He made 15 starts at left tackle in 2022, when TCU made its run all the way to the National Championship Game. In all, he made 22 starts at left tackle and 12 starts at left guard in his TCU career.

After spending his formative years growing up in Germany, Coleman moved to Denton at age 15 where he first played basketball and then turned his attention to the gridiron.

He didn't start playing on the offensive line until his senior season at Denton High School, then he spent two years honing his skills at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens. That's where TCU coaches discovered him and offered a scholarship in 2020.

Now 23 years old, Coleman has matured into one of the most athletic, versatile, experienced, intelligent and hardest-working offensive line prospects in this draft.

The athletic measurables he posted at the combine rank No. 7 out of 1,583 OG prospects measured the last 37 years.

Aside from the 10.75-inch hands and 34.625-inch arms, Coleman ran a 4.99 forty at 313 pounds. His 34-inch vertical, 9-6 broad jump, 4.62 shuttle and 7.40 cone drill are comparable to what Tyron Smith posted in 2012.

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CBS Sports Texas' Bill Jones (left) and TCU offensive lineman Brandon Coleman (right). TCU Associate Athletic Director Mark Cohen

Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl, says Coleman has good tape at both left guard and left tackle and has been extremely impressive in pre-draft interviews with teams.

Cowboys offensive line coach Mike Solari ran the offensive line drills at TCU's Pro Day and Coleman says he had a great visit with Solari in his office on his visit to The Star on Dallas Day when the Cowboys bring local prospects to the facility. 

The Big Green Notebook believes Brandon Coleman would be a great 2nd round draft pick for the Cowboys.

Just put the 23-year-old Horned Frog alongside 23-year-old North Crowley grad Tyler Smith on the left side of the offensive line, and let Solari sort it out as to which one plays tackle and which one is at guard.

Simple as that. And you only had to travel to Tarrant County to solidify the left side of your offensive line.

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