With the draft fast approaching, the Dallas Cowboys have needs all across the board. Over the next two weeks we will offer up a position-by-position review of the roster and match up the best available in the draft at those positions.
CORNERBACK
On the roster: Brandon Carr (signed through 2016), Orlando Scandrick (signed through 2018), Morris Claiborne (signed through 2016), Brandon McGee (signed through 2017), Terrance Mitchell (signed through 2017), Josh Thomas (signed through 2016), Deji Olatoye (signed through 2016), Buddy Jackson (signed through 2017)
Cap status: Carr $13.8 million, Scandrick $7.782 million, Claiborne $2.687 million, McGee $613,906, Mitchell $600,000, Thomas $600,00, Olatoye $525,000, Jackson $450,000
Best available in draft: Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves, Eli Apple
Down the line: Mackensie Alexander, Xavien Howard, Sean Davis, Maurice Canady
Position review: In 2012, the Cowboys traded up to the sixth pick in the draft to select Claiborne but injuries and ineffectiveness ruined that plan. They also signed Carr to a $50 million deal that year and he does not have an interception in the last two seasons.
Scandrick did not play last season because of a knee injury. The only cornerbacks to intercept a pass last year were Olatoye and Mitchell and neither was on the 53-man roster at the start of the season.
While they like some of the tools Olatoye and Mitchell have, they aren’t building-block types. Byron Jones is not mentioned here because I believe the Cowboys will play him at safety in 2016. If they keep him at corner full-time, then they have a tremendous athlete but he might not have the top-end quickness. He did not have a pick last season but he played well enough at corner and safety as a rookie.
The Cowboys looked at a few corners in free agency, like Nolan Carroll, Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson. They are better fits as zone cornerbacks, rather than man coverage. Carr and Claiborne are better man-to-man corners. Perhaps the Cowboys will look to change some of their scheme this year back to Rod Marinelli’s preference to play more zone.
Draft need: HIGH: Scandrick has vowed to return to the form he had in 2014 before a major knee injury but still has to prove it. At the moment, Carr is going into the final year of his deal. Claiborne is also on a one-year deal. The Cowboys need playmakers at corner and maybe even a couple of them.
The cornerback scene: Ramsey was among the Cowboys’ national visitors to Valley Ranch and said on a conference call last week the Cowboys were among the top teams showing the most interest in him.
Athletically, he is gifted but you have to look at productivity and he had just three interceptions in his career. He said he wasn’t thrown at much and when he was, he dropped a few picks. Is that something to worry about in the future?
The Cowboys also visited with Hargreaves, who could be an option in the first round if the Cowboys traded down a few spots. He has a nose for the ball and is a willing tackler. He doesn’t play scared.
Howard is a tremendous athlete but he is too handsy. He has to play with better technique. He led Baylor with five interceptions and came out for the draft despite a year of eligibility remaining. The Cowboys coached Canady at the Senior Bowl and they had a private workout with Davis at Maryland.
The best guess: Cornerback is a major need. Ramsey could very well be their top pick and they would play him at cornerback. If they don’t go with a corner in the first round, then it would have to be a top-three round pick. The Cowboys have needs not only for this year but the future at the spot, so finding a player who can help in 2016 is a must. Once you get past the top three rounds, it’s all guess work.
The series:
