Dallas Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft: Cowboys get offensive (Reid 1.0)
By Reid Hanson
Round 4, Pick 129
Darnell Savage
5’11” 200lbs
Darnell Savage is someone I have rated as the fifth safety in the class, but realistically falling because of his size and style of play. For someone his size, you expect him to play back in a traditional FS single high role, but that’s not what Savage is.
Despite his smaller build (he’s not slight by any means, though), Savage is an aggressive safety capable of playing anywhere. He hits with ferociousness, takes excellent angles, and knows where the ball is going even before it’s on the way. But perhaps his best trait is his ability to cover receivers man-to-man.
He’s been strong against tall and physical tight ends, as well as slight and shifty slot receivers. It’s hard not to see the importance of this when looking around the general landscape of the NFL and how every team seems to have an explosive slot man and/or a big-play tight end.
Savage is a guy who can do it all and pair quite nicely with someone like Xavier Woods in the Dallas Cowboys secondary.
Savage stood out in Mobile at the Senior Bowl and was the only guy who could effectively cover Penny Hart man-to-man. And I think you know how highly I think of Hart.
Even if Dallas signs a high-priced free agent safety this offseason, I’m trying hard to draft Savage in the 3rd or 4th round because of his value and versatility to fit any role.