2021 NFL Mock Draft: Cowboys fix defense, Justin Fields slides to Broncos
By Randy Gurzi
10. Scouting Report. Alabama. Patrick Surtain II. CB. player. 123. Pick Analysis
10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
The Dallas Cowboys round out the top-10 and they’ve been a team in need of some defensive help for quite some time. Last season, for example, it seemed as if they were going to go with either a cornerback or a defensive end. They ended up shocking everyone though as they went with Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Looking ahead to this draft, there’s a debate in Cowboys nation about what they should do. Practical thinking suggests defense while there are those who want to see their offense get even better by adding Kyle Pitts. That dilemma is solved for them in this mock as Pitts is long gone, so that means there’s really no debate as to who they should pick — it has to be Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Dallas has struggled for years in the secondary and it only got worse in 2020 after they let Byron Jones leave in free agency. They did replace him with Trevon Diggs — a former teammate of Surtain — but now they lost Chidobe Awuzie. Adding Surtain will actually be an upgrade over Awuzie (who is still better than he gets credit for) and could lead to some positive change in this secondary.
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 202-pounds, Surtain possesses the perfect frame for matching up against taller receivers but also has the speed to keep up with burners. He should have no problem developing into a No. 1 corner for Dallas.