The Dallas Cowboys’ safety issue has been on full display the last couple of weeks. Really, it’s been all year. Really, it’s been a couple of years. There’s no question that Xavier Woods is a keeper and over the last several games has started to put forth the type of performance predicted for him from way back in January. The other safety position? Whew, that’s been a problem.
Jeff Heath has been bad, really bad, but for Cowboys fans who thought it couldn’t get worse, it actually did when Darian Thompson stepped in for an injured Heath against the Detroit Lions. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel targeted Thompson on almost every big passing play the Lions had. The Cowboys need an upgrade, and they will likely have to wait until April’s draft to do so, considering they may still not want to spend at the position.
Draft analyst Jonah Tuls may have a solution for that.
In his latest 2020 mock for The Draft Network, Tuls assigns the Cowboys a potential star safety from the SEC; one Grant Delpit of LSU.
Now, Cowboys fans will probably still be hopeful the team can work out a trade with the New York Jets for another LSU safety, Jamal Adams. The two sides talked before the trade deadline but the Jets were asking for far more than Dallas was willing to give. If that continues to be the case and Dallas still has their first rounder come draft weekend, Tuls sees Delpit as being a great addition for the Cowboys.
Cowboys Wire caught up with our former contributor to pick his brain on Delpit and some other things surrounding the Cowboys and the upcoming 2020 draft.
Cowboys Wire: You mocked LSU super safety Grant Delpit to the Cowboys in your latest mock for The Draft Network. Talk to us about what he brings to the table the Cowboys would like, and what are some question marks where he’ll need to improve in the pro game.
Jonah Tuls: Grant Delpit provides something the Cowboys haven’t had at the safety position in over a decade — elite playmaking ability. With his combination of sideline to sideline range and short-area quickness, he is ready to make an impact in both man and zone coverage. The Cowboys haven’t had a difference-making cover safety in years, and Delpit would be a perfect fit for Kris Richard’s attacking defense.
The biggest question mark with Delpit’s game is his finishing consistency in the open field. He plays super aggressive as a run defender, and that often works to his detriment. His playmaking prowess will likely overshadow this flaw in the draft process, but changing speeds as a tackler is something he needs to take care of.
CW: Let’s assume Dallas makes the playoffs and do draft in the 20s like you have them. Who are some of the other players you have mocked in the first round that you feel would be good fits for the Cowboys and where they are lacking right now.
Tuls: Other positions of interest for the Cowboys in the first round are defensive tackle and cornerback. Two players come to mind here — South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw and Alabama CB Trevon Diggs.
Kinlaw is an athletic freak as an interior pass rusher who can play on all three downs as either a one or three technique. I get the feeling he will be long gone by the time Dallas picks, but he fits right up the alley of what this front office looks for in a defensive tackle.
Diggs is the prototypical Kris Richard cornerback. It is rare to find 6’2 boundary players who can move, stay in phase in man coverage, and find the ball as well as Diggs does. With all the free agency questions surrounding this position for the team, I think this could be the year where Richard finally gets his guy at cornerback in the early rounds.
CW: Outside of those names, who are some other players you think could be good fits for the Cowboys and go between picks 20 and 60? I think we’re likely looking at a need to replace Randall Cobb in the slot, Jeff Heath at safety (though I still love Donovan Wilson).
Can you give us a quick preview of who could fill those holes in that range?
Tuls: There are a ton of slot wide receivers in this draft class that will be in the Day 2 range. If you’re looking for players who can stretch the field with their speed, similar to Mecole Hardman from last year, look no further than Penn State’s KJ Hamler and Texas’ Devin Duvernay. I know Dallas was interested in Hardman last year, so it would make sense for this team to go back to that archetype next April.
If the Cowboys wait to address safety on Day 2, some names to keep in mind are Texas’ Brandon Jones and Cal’s Ashtyn Davis. Both players fit the mold of what this front office looks for, in terms of their physical profiles. Jones and Davis are interchangeable safety prospects who have range, athleticism, and run support production.
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