The legendary safety believes his former team has relied on trying to develop late-rounders at the position instead of drafting stars.
The Cowboys have developed a reputation for undervaluing safeties, especially early in the draft. But one of the franchise’s all-time greats at the position believes the club should change that mentality.
“I think if you want a safety and you feel like you need to fill the void of playmaker in that position, then you probably have to get one a little early,” Darren Woodson told 105.3 The Fan recently. “If you’re looking for a playmaker, go get one early instead of thinking through the process of, ‘I can turn a special teams player into safety,’ or, ‘I can go in the fourth, fifth round and find a guy that’s serviceable to play that position.’ If you want a big-time playmaker, it’s just part of it. You roll the dice and go early and hopefully you get a playmaker.”
Woodson was a second-round pick out of Arizona State when Dallas selected him in 1992. He went on to become a five-time pro Bowler and three-time Super Bowl champion with the organization over his 13-year career. He remains the Cowboys’ all-time leader in tackles. While he’s in the team’s Ring of Honor, Woodson is, inexplicably, still waiting on induction in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Does the 2021 draft class feature a future Darren Woodson? Only time will tell, of course, but safeties Trevon Moehrig (TCU), Elijah Molden (Washington), Jamar Johnson (Indiana), Richie Grant (UCF), and Jevon Holland (Oregon) all find themselves in the Top 50 on PFF’s Big Board just ten days before the draft.
Last year, the Cowboys were rumored to be looking at safeties Xavier McKinney, Grant Delpit, and Antoine Winfield Jr. All were taken in the second round before the Cowboys drafted cornerback Trevon Diggs at No. 51.
Woodson knows elite safeties that are truly worthy of an early pick are rare. He allows that the Cowboys could still dramatically upgrade their secondary by using their first-round pick on a cornerback, but the key is to get an impact player.
“I mean, when you look at some of the guys over the years, specifically at the free safety position, the guy who can really turn the ball over, you’re looking for the Ed Reeds, you’re looking for, you know, phenomenal players that have ball-hawking skills and they don’t come a dime a dozen. So I get it, I get it, but there are also options like- you don’t have to just look at the safety position, you can look at a guy like Patrick Surtain II. You look for a playmaker on the outside, maybe at the cornerback position but you could solidify some of your your secondary by going early in the draft.
“I’m a big believer in: if there is a guy at the position- safety or cornerback- and you know you need help on a different side of the ball, [and] there’s a difference-maker, you go get them. And that’s been my philosophy. I strongly believe there are some corners early in this draft that they could probably go out and could be game-changers, you could have two bookend corners. There’s some options out there. I just think if you want to fill the void, you want someone that’s gonna make a difference and not just be a special-teamer or fifth-round pick, you will get somebody early that can make plays for you.”
Over the past 20 drafts, the Cowboys have used a first- or second-round pick on a DB eight times, out of 38 picks. Three were top-ten selections: Morris Claiborne in 2012, Terence Newman in 2003, and Roy Williams in 2002.
Only one of those top-ten picks played safety.
“For five years,” Woodson said of Williams, “he gave you Pro Bowls. He gave you one of the hardest-hitting players ever to play the game. He was a turnover factory for the team. So, you want to get a playmaker? You got to go get them early. It’s no different than any other position. If you want to fill the quarterback position, it would behoove you to go early in the draft and find that spot. Exactly the same thing for any other position.”
For Woodson, it’s a simple matter. The Cowboys will likely get what they pay for when they find themselves on the clock on the night of April 29. If they want a playmaker on the back end, they shouldn’t be afraid to invest in a top-shelf safety.
Not doing so hasn’t worked all that well.
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