Touchdown Wire’s pre-combine mock draft: Chase Young, Jerry Jeudy are pivot points

Everybody does mock drafts, most everybody does more than one, and every mock draft is done for different reasons. To get clicks? Well, duh. That would be reason No. 1, dear reader. Let’s not be arch about this. That aside, what we’re trying to do …

17. Dallas Cowboys (8-8): Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

(Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

To call McKinney a safety in the traditional sense would be to misunderstand his value and versatility. If you remember Minkah Fitzpatrick’s roles for the Crimson Tide, when he played six different positions for Nick Saban, you’ll have an approximate idea of what McKinney brings to the table. Last season, per PFF, McKinney had 285 snaps in the box, 227 snaps from the slot and 271 snaps at deep safety in 2019. He does it all well, from sniffing out screens to covering deep, and woe to the receiver who tries to run a slant in his area. Getting yards after the catch in his territory tends to present a similar problem. The Cowboys, who could lose cornerback Byron Jones in free agency because of the truckloads of cash it will take to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper, really need a complementary player for safety Xavier Woods, could use every bit of McKinney’s versatility on the other side of the ball.

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