Cowboys Complete 7-Round Mock Draft V1.3: Reloading for 2018
By FS Staff
Round 5 – Duke Dawson – CB – Florida
The Cowboys focused heavily on cornerbacks in the 2017 Draft but with multiple 5th Round picks they can afford to bring in another young piece. Duke Dawson can come in and learn behind Orlando Scandrick with Scandrick becoming injury prone and getting older.
During his 4 years at Florida, Dawson had 81 tackles, 17 passes defended, and 6 interceptions. With his height and speed, Dawson could be a successful slot corner. According to Walter Football: “He is good when plays are in front of him, plus has instincts and a good concept of route combinations.”
Dawson had a really good season in 2016 per Pro Football Focus,
"“Dawson forced an incompletion on 31.0 percent of his targets, the highest mark of any draft-eligible cornerback. Dawson also ranked No. 3 in total run stops (6) among returning SEC cornerbacks with less than 200 snaps in run defense. He earned a 76.1 grade against the run for his efforts.”"
He did not have as good of a season in 2017 as he struggled with some technique issues. Dawson would need to develop a little bit more to be an effective corner in the NFL but Rod Marinelli can surely bring the best out of him.