Okay, Jerry Jones, let's talk about something very serious before the NFL draft. Your Dallas Cowboys are arguably the biggest brand in American sports right now, battling with the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Yankees, and New York Knicks. The star is synonymous with Americana, and your team dominates most headlines during the NFL season, with solid appearances year-round. But since the mid-90's any substance under the flash has been hard to find for this team.
That penchant for flash over substance is what makes this NFL draft so dangerous for the Cowboys and their front office. This is widely considered to be one of the greatest crops of rookie wide receivers (including Kyle Pitts, if you use some flexibility) in recent memory, and could possibly be the greatest of all time. So, Jerry, consider this the little angel on your shoulder: DO. NOT. TAKE. A. WIDE. RECEIVER.
Dallas is returning largely the same roster of offensive weapons that lit the league on fire for the past few seasons. They simply do not need anymore. What these playmakers do need, however, is support enough to help them. They put up gaudy stats, to be sure, but touchdowns in garbage time are just empty calories. If this high-powered offense is to get Dallas anywhere this season, they need legitimate support, and that starts with the tenth pick in the 2021 NFL draft — and these are the three best options to provide that.
Cowboys targets: 1. CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama
There's one reason why Dallas' high octane offense couldn't keep up well enough in 2020. Their defense was at the bottom of the barrel in points (28th) and yards (23rd) allowed. In no world should the Cowboys have allowed the Washington Football Team, of all teams, to hang 25 and 41 points on their head.
While numbers that bad have to do with the lack of effort and heart on the Cowboys' defense, that level of allowed points and yards starts in one place: the air.
The Cowboys simply need to shore up their coverage of opposing receivers. Trevon Diggs was fine, but very situationally inconsistent through his rookie year, and he needs a legitimate running mate.
You can't do much better than an actual former teammate.
Picking Surtain, the number one-rated cornerback in the 2021 draft, goes beyond his scouting report. He comes with built-in chemistry alongside Diggs, as the two were teammates under the legendary Nick Saban at Alabama. Not only would Surtain come in as the team's immediate number one corner, it's reasonable to believe that his presence would jumpstart the performance of Diggs. Dallas would effectively be killing two birds with one stone.
2. LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
Remember that whole bit about lack of effort earlier for the Cowboys? Problem solved.
If the Cowboys want to go with a truly splashy pick while still building an actual defensive identity, they couldn't go wrong with Micah Parsons.
While not as good in dedicated coverage as Surtain, Parsons is scarcely worse, and also solves another big problem with the Cowboys' defense: rushing.
At 6'3 and 245 pounds, Micah Parsons is built like a barbarian from a fantasy game. What's even scarier is how fast (4.39s 40-yard dash) and explosive (34-inch vertical) he is at that size. Sound familiar? Parsons is similar to last year's standout rookie linebacker, Chase ‘My Position is Football Player' Young. Parsons is similarly versatile. He could dramatically improve the Cowboys. It stands to reason that he would be a top 3-5 pick in this draft if it wasn't for this year's incredibly deep quarterback and wide receiver classes.
Line him up on the edge, or have him be the captain of your defense. Parsons has one hell of a mind for football, and can instantly produce at multiple positions. He is a human Swiss Army Knife on the football field, and as someone that can legitimately plug a lot of holes in the Cowboys' defense, he also fits that ‘two birds with one stone' mentality.
While the Cowboys' defensive needs are biggest in the secondary, they are lacking in several areas on that side of the football. Micah Parsons is simply the best and most versatile defensive player in this draft. Given the choice between Surtain and anyone else, this is the most eligible ‘someone else' to take.
3. OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC
With any luck, either Rashawn Slater or Penei Sewell will be available to take with the tenth pick in this year's draft. But if both are gone, which is entirely possible, the Cowboys can't do much better in picking up a piece of Tyron Smith insurance than with the most versatile lineman in the 2021 rookie class.
Let's be honest here too: The Cowboys need Tyron Smith insurance. He's one of the best tackles in the game if he's healthy, but that is a gigantic ‘if'. At 30 years old, Smith is starting to get up there in age, and injuries are starting to rob him of the rest of his prime. If another season-ending injury happens, he is only going to be another big, overpaid name.
Good quarterback protection is not something teams let go of easily, so the Cowboys won't be able to address this hole in free agency. With Dak Prescott coming off of the most catastrophic injuries of 2020, Dallas has to take his protection seriously, especially after the gigantic contract they just signed him to.
Alijah Vera-Tucker is that protection. It can even be argued that, for the Cowboys, he might be a better pick than Slater or Sewell even if the two are both available at 10. His versatility allows him to become an immediate contributor in the offensive line's interior while he trains to protect Prescott's blindside, which matches well with Tyron Smith's timeline, if healthy.
Honorable Mention
OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern/Penei Sewell, Oregon: One or both are projected to be unavailable by the 10th pick, otherwise they would be in the discussion for the Cowboys with Vera-Tucker
TE Kyle Pitts, Florida: If Kyle Pitts slides this far in the draft, it would be hard for the Cowboys to pass on him; he is the surest of tight end prospects in years. It wouldn't even surprise that many people if Jerry Jones attempted to trade up to get him (DON'T DO IT, JERRY). Dallas does need a tight end, after all, so of the playmakers available in the first round, he does make the most sense for then.
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