Dallas Cowboys' Will McClay Stay Finding Jewels Like Ron'Dell Carter & Beyond...

While all the football world either marvels at or offers criticism for 2020 NFL Draft picks, the Dallas Cowboys find themselves the recipient of the former, having executed a plan that saw them walk away with arguably the best haul of talent -- including the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs and others who aren't as heralded but are certainly as capable of making an impact in Year 1. Their successful blueprint, laced with a healthy helping of fortuitousness, didn't stop when the lights went out on the draft itself. The club immediately went to work calling a list of coveted undrafted free agents and attempting to convince them Dallas was the place to be, and Ron'Dell Carter was at the top of their list. The former James Madison star pass rusher will join a list of 15 other UDFAs on their way to the Cowboys, but in a unique fashion, because sources confirm to CBS Sports the organization guaranteed him more money than the other 14 players -- giving a strong hint at their belief in his upside and that he can challenge for a roster spot in 2020. His life-changing phone call following draft weekend wasn't the first time he had spoken with the Cowboys, either, as the team showed interest early and often over the past several months. "When I was out in Los Angeles [at the NFLPA game], I spoke with them and we had some preliminary talks," Carter said. "... And we spoke two or three times throughout the process between January and [through] the draft. My agent, [Adam Seifer], also spoke with them at the Combine, and him and I had some good talks about it -- how it could potentially be a good look. That's how I actually got the Dallas Cowboys hat that I had. When I was there, they gave it to me. "It's almost like it was meant to happen." While Carter was able to land the attention of head coach Mike McCarthy, defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and defensive line coach Jim Tomsula early on, coming from a small school program and not being able to sell himself to NFL teams by way of pro days or in-person meetings and workouts made the process exceedingly difficult. It's possible Carter would've been drafted if not for the heightened difficulty created by the COVID-19 pandemic. "I think it affected not just me, but a lot of FCS guys from smaller schools," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't get to play on national television every single week. The only time the FCS is on TV is the playoffs. Luckily, JMU got to play in the playoffs, so teams were able to nationally see me, but it was tough. "I was training for those 6-8 weeks, I come back and I'm ready to get my pro day in and three days before pro day, they say, 'Hey, it's cancelled.' That alone hurt us because teams want to see an FCS guy's body makeup, and to see us in person. We couldn't do meetings. We couldn't do [Official 30] visits. We couldn't do private workouts. "So for a guy like me, who was at a lower level and guys consider a 'tweener' -- because I'm 6'3" and not a 6'6" defensive end -- teams want to see in person. I think that definitely affected me from that standpoint. But luckily my character and my film allowed me to get a phone call right after the draft." To be clear, Carter didn't just receive "a phone call" on Saturday evening. He tells CBS Sports he received offers from upwards of 25 different teams and, in the end, it came down to two frontrunners in the Cowboys and their former rivals, the San Francisco 49ers. In the end, the highly-coveted undrafted free agent was awarded the most guaranteed money of any player in Dallas' UDFA haul, which is clear evidence they see a high upside in him. That, and the fact they had to beat back 24 of the 31 other teams to get their hands on him. Small school, huge talent The 6'3", 265-pound pass rusher saw his production mushroom once he transferred from Rutgers to JMU -- delivering four sacks in his first year before adding another 7.5 in Year 2 and logging a career-high 12 sacks in 2019. His ability to disrupt in the offensive backfield wasn't relegated to just sacks, either, having seen his TFL (tackle for loss) tally balloon from eight to 13 and ultimately to 27, in his first, second, and final year, respectively. For the complete article click here: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/rondell-carter-explains-why-he-turned-down-24-teams-to-sign-with-the-cowboys-after-the-2020-nfl-draft/