The work never stops for the Dallas Cowboys. With free agency now operating at a snail's pace, the franchise will turn most of its attention to the 2019 NFL draft, as prospects have begun to make the rounds for team visits and private workouts.

As we said last week, the pre-draft visit list provides an excellent opportunity to get a glimpse of Dallas' draft plans.

So, let's dive right in and grade our next crop of Cowboys pre-draft visitors.

Note: These grades are the individual evaluations of the author and not meant to predict the Cowboys' grade, or where the player may be drafted. Here's the link to the grading scale being used. Additionally, here's the source of the pre-draft visits.

-- More breakdowns on pre-draft visitors -- Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 3 | Vol. 4 | Vol. 5 | Vol. 6 | Vol. 7

Gerald Willis, DT, Miami

In the Cowboys' quest for an under tackle (3-technique defensive tackle), the team could look to add Miami's Gerald Willis to the rotation. Not only does Willis have a national visit with Dallas lined up before the draft, but defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli recently flew to Miami to work him out at his pro day.

Willis' road to the NFL has been anything but smooth. He started his college career at Florida but was dismissed from the program in January 2015, leading to his transfer to Miami. Willis also took a leave of absence from Miami in 2017 because of personal issues. When he returned in 2018, he looked better than ever, accumulating 59 total tackles, 18 for loss and four sacks (all career highs).

Let's take a look at Miami DT Gerald Willis, who is also one of DAL's 30 pre-draft invites.



The 1st thing that jumps out when watching Willis is he loves to use the arm-over. Here, he uses a nifty inside jab step to set up a sublime outside arm-over. Great initial quickness too pic.twitter.com/DOsJPBVlSy — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 14, 2019

Measuring in 6-foot-2, 302 pounds with 33-inch arms, Willis possesses the size necessary to survive between the B-gaps in the NFL. He is a spark-plug defensive tackle who has a strong first step, notable lateral quickness

a silky smooth swim (arm-over) move.

Willis has impressive reactionary quickness, which enables to be even more effective with his quick swim moves too penetrate. pic.twitter.com/vHHtXi39pe — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 14, 2019

Willis relies on the swim move to generate pressure on quarterbacks and penetrate into the backfield against the run. His effectiveness with the swim lies in his quickness and length along with his ability to disguise and set the move up in myriad ways, mixing in a variety of jab steps, stutter steps

tempo changes. Though he doesn't use them as much as he should, Willis has also demonstrated effective two-hand swipes and spin moves to clear contact and escape blocks.

Unfortunately for Willis, his tendency to continually utilize the arm-over move often gets him into a lot of trouble as well.

Unfortunately, the arm-over move gets Willis into a lot of trouble as well. When he doesn't win cleanly, the act of performing the arm-over causes his pad level to get too high, which leads to him getting displaced by single and double blocks way too often. pic.twitter.com/nMo3i7ftK9 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 14, 2019

In the run game, the act of using a swim move automatically forces pad level to rise, which means if Willis doesn't win cleanly, his base is compromised. Therefore, he's not in a good position to absorb contact and hold his ground. This leads to Willis, who displays average play strength as it is, being frequently displaced from his gap.

Again, Willis gets caught trying to set up the arm over, which leads to him getting displaced off the LOS scrimmage. Willis has so much variance from play-to-play. pic.twitter.com/aoPn2rgdZk — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 15, 2019

Willis' reliance on the arm-over in the run game adds a frustrating amount of variance to his performance against the run. On one play, he can time his swim effectively and penetrate to record a tackle for loss. On the next play, Willis can mistime his swim move and get uprooted from his gap, leaving a giant lane for the running back.

Even when he doesn't use the arm-over move, Willis shows considerable concerns in his ability to take on double-moves and hold his ground at the point of attack when he can't penetrate.

The danger of consistently exposing the chest while setting the outside swim. A well-timed punch knocks him off track and unable to beat the block. pic.twitter.com/5qTFFf9eSS — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 15, 2019

Willis' reliance on the swim move gets him into even more trouble as a pass rusher, where it is much more difficult to pull off than in other situations. Against the run, when the blocker typically is attacking forward (at various angles), the swim move acts in the same way a matador avoids a charging bull. But against the pass, when blockers move backward after the snap, it becomes much more difficult to have the right timing. Poor timing often causes Willis to expose his chest, giving offensive linemen an easy target to latch onto.

Ultimately, Willis is a high-variance player who possesses impressive physical traits and an effective primary move. However, his reliance on that primary move causes him to struggle against offensive linemen who figure out his timing. Willis needs significant development with his pad level and the fundamentals of his game need significant polish.

Still, his penetration ability and physical traits make him a worthwhile gamble on Day 3 of the draft.

GRADE : 7.2 (Round 4)

Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina

South Carolina wide receiver Deebo Samuel -- like Washington safety Taylor Rapp -- is a prospect the Cowboys would be lucky to be able to pick when they go on the clock at No. 58.

Measuring in at 5-11, 214 pounds with 31 3/8-inch arms and 10-inch hands, Samuel is built more akin to a running back. Don't get it twisted, though: His skill set is dripping with notable receiver traits.

Despite his compact size, Samuel is an impressive athlete, testing in the 76.3 percentile among receivers at the NFL scouting combine, according to Three Sigma Athlete. His 4.48-second 40-yard dash time and 39-inch vertical are his most notable test results because they indicate that, despite his height and density, he can have success vertically down the field and in the air.

Samuel displays one of the most well-rounded skill sets in the entire receiver class. Not only has he proven capable of running the full route tree, but he demonstrates the ability to win inside as a slot receiver or outside as a more traditional X or Z receiver.

Easy separation from Deebo Samuel on the post route. Love the acceleration out of the vertical cut to create separation. 😍 pic.twitter.com/QuEghDfXRg — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 28, 2019

Samuel is outstanding with

vertical cuts

, disguising them well and accelerating out of his breaks to create excellent separation, making him potent on

and corner routes.

Deebo Samuel is one of the best route runners in this draft class.



Simple hitch but love the technical prowess here.



Very hard to create any separation on a hitch vs trail tech. pic.twitter.com/zH80tRZfqK — Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 28, 2019

Though he's not as quick as the smaller slot receivers in the draft, Samuel displays the body control and quickness to create separation on hard-angle cuts as well, making him potentially dangerous on curl and comeback routes when defensive backs are worried about his speed.

In addition to his route running, Samuel's releases off the line of scrimmage make it difficult for cornerbacks to disrupt the timing of his routes. Though college receivers don't see as much press coverage as they will in the NFL, Samuel's strength, lateral quickness and football intelligence should enable him to remain effective when pressed at the next level.

Deebo Samuel has a lot of similar characteristics to Pierre Garçon in his prime. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch had an entire week with him at the Senior Bowl. Samuel seems like a logical target for the #49ers at pick No. 36.

(🎥: @MaioccoNBCS)

pic.twitter.com/9wJszbtMcI — Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) March 21, 2019

Samuel displays soft hands with the ability to catch balls through traffic, away from his frame or when contested. Because of his lack of height and length, he has a smaller catch radius than most outside receivers, so quarterbacks have a slightly smaller area to hit when targeting Samuel on the outside. A lack of size isn't as much of a problem in the slot, since receivers often catch balls closer to the quarterback from that alignment.

Deebo Samuel is so fun. Love how he punishes the DB at the end. pic.twitter.com/O77L3qPpO1 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 28, 2019

While he's effective before and during the catch, Samuel is truly at his best after the catch, showcasing running back-like qualities as a ball carrier. Not only does he have the creativity and athleticism to elude defenders in tight quarters or the open field, but he has the mentality and play strength to punish and run them over as well, using his frame and 4.48 speed to unleash a great deal of force on would-be tacklers.

Deebo Samuel is built like a RB and therefore I live to see him in the running game.pic.twitter.com/POUsLV7MBh — Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) March 23, 2019

Samuel's talent as a runner makes him an option on jet sweeps and bubble screens. Putting the ball in his hands typically results in positive outcomes. Samuel leverages these traits to be extremely effective as a return man, as evidenced by his four career kick-return touchdowns at South Carolina.

It's tough to poke holes in Samuel's skill set, as he may not have many elite traits but does so many different things well. He could stand to be more plugged in as a blocker, where his effort tends to wane throughout games. And his injury history is a major concern, as he's played a full season just once -- his senior year. Samuel has a history of dealing with hamstring injuries, which should worry teams about his availability throughout a season.

Even with the Randall Cobb signing, Samuel would be an outstanding addition to the Cowboys' offense. His ability to play inside and outside gives them the ability to be even more flexible with formations, and his ability as a ball carrier makes him a great option on jet sweeps. Samuel's return ability gives him another path toward immediate production as well.

While it seems unlikely that Samuel lasts until the late second round -- he's received a lot of top-40 buzz -- it should be noted that this year's wide receiver class is stacked with first- and second-round talent, which means there's a chance a top-50 type of receiver falls to No. 58.

GRADE : 7.78 (early Round 2)

Mike Weber, RB, Ohio State

While most of the national pre-draft visits are saved for prospects who will be drafted on Days 1 or 2, the Cowboys like to use a couple of their visits on Day 3 or priority free-agent targets as well.

Ohio State running back Mike Weber falls into that category, as he certainly won't hear his name called until Day 3 -- and because of how deep the running back class is, he could even go undrafted.

Weber was a three-year contributor for the Buckeyes, bursting onto the season with a 1,000-yard season as a redshirt freshman in 2016 before rushing for 626 yards as a sophomore and 954 as a junior. He was never the primary back for Ohio State, averaging 11.97 carries per game over the course of his career while sharing touches with other talented backs.

Checking in at 5-10, 211 pounds, Weber's compact frame lends itself well to the pro game, as he has the requisite mass to absorb the punishment NFL running backs see week in and week out. He ran an impressive 4.47 in the 40-yard dash at the combine, and although he doesn't play with that type of game-breaking speed, he does possess notable burst to get through the line of scrimmage and into the second level of a defense quickly.

Weber's vision is his best trait, as he does an excellent job of reading his blocks to determine the best path to take. His vision is best shown on zone runs, where he does an excellent job manipulating defenders at the second level. Weber also demonstrates impressive contact balance, as his compact frame aids in his ability to absorb and defeat contact as a ball carrier.

Unfortunately, he lacks the fluidity in his hips to accelerate out of his cuts or layer moves together to elude defenders. Because of that, Weber doesn't like to dance in the backfield. Instead, he's usually deliberate with his decisions, looking to get up the field quickly.

Weber is the type of back who gets what's blocked for him, lacking the elusiveness and inventiveness to create on his own, and thus he projects as more of a supplemental back than a feature one.

Outside of his ability as a ball carrier, Weber is solid in terms of pass protection and as a receiver out of the backfield.

Weber shows the mental-processing ability to pick up blitzers, showing enough play strength to hold his own at the point of attack. Having said that, he can struggle against blitzers who have a great deal of lateral quickness.

He isn't anything special as a receiver, but Weber shows good enough hands to be a solid check-down option.

Overall, Weber would be a good option for the Cowboys in the sixth or seventh round if they miss out on more talented backs in Rounds 4 or 5. If he goes undrafted, Weber would be an outstanding priority free agent for Dallas regardless of any running back selections in the draft.

Weber is a solid running back who can be an effective backup to Ezekiel Elliott in the Cowboys' offense.

GRADE : 6.61 (Round 6)

MORE INSTALLMENTS

Vol. 1: S Taylor Rapp, S Johnathan Abram, EDGE Jaylon Ferguson

Vol. 2: DT Gerald Willis, WR Deebo Samuel, RB Mike Weber

Vol. 3: S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, WR Mecole Hardman, RB Damien Harris

Vol. 4: S Juan Thornhill, DT Kingsley Keke, WR Jon'Vea Johnson

Vol. 5: S Khari Willis, CB Chris Westry, LB Dre Greenlaw

Vol. 6: EDGE Christian Miller, DT Trysten Hill, RB/WR Tony Pollard

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Vol. 7: WR Emanuel Hall, WR Jalen Hurd, TE Jace Sternberger

More film studies: How free-agent additions could help Dallas in 2019

Twitter: @JohnOwning