Bolstering the secondary is the primary concern for many Cowboys fans this offseason. Whether it’s finding an improbable way to retain Byron Jones, courting a free agent veteran, making a splashy trade, looking to the college ranks in April’s draft, or piecing together a combo platter of those strategies, it’s no secret that the team needs DB help ASAP.
Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft for The Athletic (pay wall) has the club snagging one of the heroes of last week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and using their first-round selection on a dazzling athlete who could flourish at the pro level. And his projections of the first three rounds has the team staying on the defensive side of the ball as they try to patch up one of 2019’s most disappointing units.
Round 1: C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson “has a chance to be drafted in the top 10, so [the Cowboys’ 17th pick] might be the latest he comes off the board,” Brugler writes in The Athletic. “With Byron Jones destined to reach free agency, cornerback shoots near the top of Dallas’s draft needs. Henderson needs to be a better playmaker at the catch point, but he is a plus athlete with the size to blanket receivers.”
Henderson impressed during Day Four of the combine with a 40-yard dash time that was second-best at his position. His bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump numbers were all Top-10.
Florida’s C.J. Henderson runs a 4.39!
➡️PFF’s CB3
pic.twitter.com/PbCjjXRcAM— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 1, 2020
The junior was always seen as a first-day draft selection; his weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium only improved his draft stock. Many mocks project Henderson to be gone within the first 15 picks, so if he’s available to the Cowboys at 17, Brugler’s pick seems like a no-brainer.
The only knock on Henderson seems to be his tackling ability, but it’s probably not enough of a concern that Dallas wouldn’t jump at the chance to bring him aboard.
#Florida CB C.J. Henderson was excellent today. I asked a scouting buddy about him yesterday about his tackling concerns. He said “who cares? When is tackling ever brought up about these free agent CBs that are about to get paid? Can he cover? That’s all I need to know.”
— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) March 1, 2020
Brugler has Henderson being the second corner off the board, after Ohio State’s Jeffrey Okudah, mocked to go seventh overall to Carolina. Linebacker Isaiah Simmons (Clemson), defensive tackle Derrick Brown (Auburn), wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma), wideout Jerry Jeudy (Alabama), and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina) are all taken prior to Dallas’s pick in the Brugler mock. All are considered to be on a possible watch list for the Cowboys, as is Alabama safety Xavier McKinney. Brugler has McKinney going to the Saints with the 24th pick.
Round 2: Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M
In the second round, Brugler likes Justin Madubuike falling to Dallas at 51st. The defensive tackle from Texas A&M tallied 11 sacks over the past two seasons and worked under Maurice Linguist, who’s now on the Cowboys defensive coaching staff.
Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike was one of the biggest winners of the night, running a 4.83 40-yard dash (1.73 10-yard split) at 293 pounds.
Madubuike also recorded a 7.37 3-cone, the fastest time by a DT over the last two years.@MadubuikeJustin | @AggieFootball pic.twitter.com/5Hfu7iMix7
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) March 1, 2020
Mike McCarthy has a history of drafting defensive tackles highly, and Madubuike has made it clear he would love to play for the NFL team he grew up rooting for. “At 6-foot-2, 293 pounds,” writes The Draft Network’s Jonah Tuls, “Madubuike fits that mold of the undersized, quick one-gap penetrator in the middle.”
Round 3: Malik Harrison, LB, Ohio State
With so much attention on defensive teammates Chase Young and Jeffrey Okudah, the Buckeyes’ 6-foot-3-inch linebacker is sitting slightly off the radar. But Brugler has the Cowboys pouncing on him with the 82nd overall pick. Current Dallas linebackers Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch can provide a dominant tandem, but the position could still use quality depth, especially with the question mark that is Sean Lee.
Malik Harrison measuring well isn't surprising.
Measuring well within elite range, maybe a bit surprising. Good for him. pic.twitter.com/KvacPUuvIu
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2020
Harrison played in 42 games over his four years at Ohio State. He recorded 55 solo tackles as a junior and 49 in his senior season. In Indianapolis last weekend, he put up the best three-cone drill score at his position and ran the second-fastest 40 of any linebacker his size or heavier.
Defense wins championships, the saying goes. With those three picks in the first three rounds of the 2020 Draft, Cowboys Nation would likely feel pretty good about getting closer to a sixth Lombardi Trophy coming home to Dallas.
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