What I feel like a lot on here is missing is that I think the team really wanted to add some toughness to the defense. I think they wanted to add some players that were hard nosed, tough, hard hitting players, and that they set out in this draft to find some.
You can argue a lot of things about Hitchens, his draft ranking and where he should have been taken... but what nobody can argue is that this is one tough guy who plays hard, hits hard, and brings a level of intensity to the game. And that, as much as anything, is what I think Dallas was drafting.
On a team that is known for producing tough guys, Hitchens stood out as the toughest. When Dallas made their call to him, Marinelli and others specifically mentioned his toughness and Iowa's reputation for toughness. Everything you read about the guy talks about how hard he hits and how tough he is.
I mean, maybe I'm off here... but I truly think they liked him in large part because of what he brings, toughness wise, to the defense. I think the team valued him greater than most because they are specifically targeting guys who have those traits now... which is something I've been wanting them to do for a long time now. Personally, I couldn't be happier to see them getting guys like Hitchens and Dixon.
So, while he might have been a 5th or 6th rounder to say, Miami - maybe teams that covet toughness and attitude like San Francisco, Seattle, Arizona, and now Dallas, thought the guy was worth a 4th.
Just my line of thinking.