The Dallas Cowboys did something at the 2021 NFL draft which few other teams were willing or able to do. That forms the basis for this examination of the best things Jerry Jones and his war room did from April 29 through May 1.
Cowboys NFL draft chess moves:
2. Taking Jabril Cox at No. 115 in the fourth round
The people who follow both LSU football and SEC football spent the latter stages of Day 2 at the NFL draft (Friday, April 30) wondering why linebacker Jabril Cox hadn't been selected. Cox regularly deflected and intercepted passes as a Tiger, stepping into throwing lanes and making life difficult for SEC quarterbacks. Cox has the speed and range of a linebacker who can comfortably stay with running backs and tight ends in pass coverage, making him the kind of defender the Cowboys need.
Remember that the Cowboys got torched early in the 2020 season by the Falcons, Seahawks and Browns and were regularly a step or two behind on defense under former coordinator Mike Nolan. Coach Mike McCarthy fired Nolan and replaced him with recently fired Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who was a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks in the 2013 NFL season. The addition of Cox is good in itself; getting Cox at No. 115 on Day 3 is incredible value. The ‘Boys got a steal here and took a step toward fixing their defense with a new coordinator in town.
1. Going all-in on defense
The true masterstroke by the Cowboys in the 2021 NFL draft was their commitment to defensive picks. You might have noticed that the New York Jets went with a steady stream of offensive picks in the draft. The Jets had four picks in the top 110 spots on the board and went with offensive players at each pick: No. 2, No. 14, No. 34, and No. 107. The Jets had pieces in place on defense but needed to dramatically remake their offense in order to give new quarterback Zach Wilson the resources he needed to develop in New York. The Jets got generally high marks for their offense-first focus, though if Wilson doesn't pan out, their other selections won't matter as much.
It is similar with the Cowboys. Their commitment to picking defensive players was and is appropriate.
Keep in mind that Dak Prescott — injured early in the 2020 season — is back this year. The Cowboys are loaded at the skill positions. They don't really need much help there. The offensive line could have used some help, but Dallas is banking on injuries being less of a factor than they were in 2020's snake-bitten season. That logic is debatable but entirely reasonable.
The Cowboys and Jerry Jones clearly looked at this draft as a chance to stockpile picks so that they could take big swings at a lot of different positions. Maybe some picks won't pan out, but if the Cowboys hit on half of their first six picks — all defensive players — they will have fortified their defense to a considerable degree at the 2021 NFL draft.
Micah Parsons of Penn State at No. 12 has drawn mixed reviews, but this NFL draft class is less about one player and more about the Cowboys' willingness to seek solutions for every position group. They drafted linebackers. They drafted an interior defensive lineman. They drafted a defensive end. They drafted cornerbacks to shore up the secondary.
Each of the first six picks in this NFL draft — No. 12, No. 44, No. 75, No. 84, No. 99, and No. 115, before finally going with an offensive player at No. 138 — represented an attempt to find a different puzzle piece. If the Cowboys find at least three good puzzle pieces, ideally four, they will have a noticeably better defense. If Dak stays healthy, the offense should rock and roll. Dallas would be in position to win the NFC East.
Was this a great NFL draft for the Cowboys? No — let's not get carried away here. Was the focus on defense appropriate, and did it give the team a reasonable chance to improve in areas of acute need? Yes.
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