The Cowboys are either going to address the secondary or nab a wide receiver in the first round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has narrowed the 50-50 coin flip to one choice. It appears that Kiper sees the Cowboys waiting until the second-round to take a receiver. Safety remains a need for the Cowboys after Jeff Heath left for the Raiders and Xavier Woods enters the final year of his deal.
With the No. 17 overall pick, Kiper believes that the Cowboys will select Alabama safety Xavier McKinney, who he called the best “pure” safety in the draft.
McKinney is an all-around defender that is one of the best pure safety prospects available. If the team is serious about taking a safety, this is your guy.
NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah identified that Dallas also seems inclined to take McKinney in the first round.
In 2019, McKinney finished with 59 solo tackles, five pass break ups, four forced fumbles, and three interceptions. He finished the season with 95 combined tackles. In 2018, he had 10 passes defended.
Originally, Kiper had the Cowboys taking Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb in the first round, but detoured in his latest version.
With Byron Jones and Heath leaving, the Cowboys have holes in their secondary. The team took care of next season by signing Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix to a one-year deal, but the future looks bleak after 2020.
Both Clinton-Dix and Woods will be free agents, and many expect Woods to be gone after 2020.
McKinney seems like an obvious choice and the right choice.