Dallas Cowboys retool defense in pre-Combine 7-round 2020 mock draft

The unclear future of Byron Jones raises some serious question marks at cornerback for the Cowboys. First is obviously if they want to pay him top dollar (roughly $15 million per year in the current corner market). But there are concerns elsewhere as well as Anthony Brown is also slated to hit free agency this offseason, leaving the Cowboys with Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis as the two top players under contract at the position in Dallas.

Given the value of Prescott and Cooper, my belief remains that Jones is going to be the odd-man-out in that trio of players when it comes to re-signing players. The Cowboys want to retain a player like Robert Quinn and perhaps someone like Randall Cobb as well. Thus, the money runs out and the attention turns to the 2020 NFL Draft to address cornerback.

At the 51st pick, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs is sitting there and the Cowboys couldn’t be happier. While not the elite freak athlete that Jones was coming out of UConn, Diggs is plenty athletic in his own right. A former wide receiver, you can see that in his game with the speed he plays with, his anticipation in mirroring routes and hand fighting and with his hip fluidity.

Much like Delpit before him, there are concerns about Diggs’ effectiveness as a tackle, specifically when he’s asked to defend the run, either crashing inside or tackling on the outside. But his coverage abilities are up there with the best cornerbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft class and, in the mid-second round, the Cowboys can’t let that get past them given their current situation.