Dallas Cowboys: 3 Safety targets in Round 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft
By Randy Gurzi
3. Juan Thornhill, Virginia
One potential target who really helped himself out at the Scouting Combine was Juan Thornhill out of Virginia. He made every drill he participated in look easy as he pushed out 21 bench reps and showed off his incredible leaping skills when he hit 44 inches on the vertical jump — which is surely due to his background as a high school basketball star.
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Most impressive though was his 40-yard dash time, which was 4.42 seconds. This clearly helped him as Thornhill showed great coverage ability, but had questions about his recovery speed. In addition to being good in coverage, Thornhill is a solid player in the running game and even spent time as a linebacker for the Cavaliers as detailed by Jon Ledyard of The Draft Network.
"“Has played everywhere you can possible play on defense outside of the defensive line. Often used at linebacker, playing in the box and reading keys to come downhill against the run, although I wouldn’t say that’s his strongest suit. Played cornerback for a couple of years, has seen time in the slot as well. Consistently reliable in deep coverage as well.” — Ledyard, The Draft Network"
What Dallas should really focus on with Thornhill is his ability to go get the football. He had six picks in 2018 and 13 for his career. This is an area where the Cowboys have struggled for years as no one in their secondary creates consistent turnovers. Adding a guy who could do that could push this defense to the next level.