Dallas Cowboys: 7-Round 2019 NFL mock draft goes heavy on defense
By Randy Gurzi
Round 3, Pick 90: Isaiah Johnson Jr., CB, Houston
One thing that has to be mentioned when talking about the Cowboys giving up their first round pick for Amari Cooper is the fact that having him costs a lot more on the salary cap than an actual rookie would. This is offset by his experience, but it is a factor when trying to re-sign their upcoming free agents — and they have a lot of those.
Cooper is included in that, but so are Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and Jaylon Smith — plus they just re-signed DaMarcus Lawrence for five seasons. With all those names being tossed around, it’s easy to see how someone such as Byron Jones could get lost in the mix.
The Cowboys 2015 first-round pick moved from safety to corner in 2018 and thrived in his new role to start the season. However, he started to decline at years end which could be due to a hip issue. Dallas needs to be proactive though and look for a potential replacement in case his play continues to struggle, or if Jones’ contract demands become too much to handle.
That’s where Houston’s Isaiah Johnson, Jr. comes in. A former wide receiver, Johnson has the kind of length that passing game coordinator Kris Richard covets. He also has the ability to catch the ball, which is something the Dallas corners just can’t seem to do. Johnson is still learning the corner position which allows the Boys to get a high value here, as long as they can be patient with him.