Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft: All the rounds, all the fun (Reid 2.0)

Round 7, Pick 243 overall

Mike Edwards

Safety

Kentucky

Draft Profile

Mike Edwards, 5’11 200lbs, doesn’t look like the prototypical safety (at least not by Cowboys standards). But much like the undersized Xavier Woods, Edwards packs quite the punch.

There’s a lot to love with Edwards. He’s a fierce hitter inside the box, reliable back in zone coverage, and strong in man coverage matched up against TEs and slot receivers. He’s not the center fielder Earl Thomas is, or even Woods is, but he’s everything else.

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Again, modeling after the Seattle Cover 3, Edwards looks like a great fit playing the Cam Chancellor role of strong safety. This role requires aggressive tackling and gap discipline (since Rod Marinelli often demands single gap responsibility from his SS). At Kentucky, Edwards was used in the box and on the edge.

Draft Network points out Edwards’ ability to fight through blockers and pursue the ball carrier.

He’s tough, aggressive and durable (started every game over the last three seasons). His work in the box is his strong suit but he’s reliable back in Cover 2, 2-Deep, or Tampa 2 (which is really just another Cover 3).

Rod Marinelli loves blitzing from the slot. With Edwards’ ability to match up in man coverage, he could easily sneak up to the line to fake press, then b-line in for edge pressure.

Which positions did we miss? What would you do differently? Go over to Fanspeak to run some simulations yourself. Keep in mind, much will change once the NFL Combine wraps up.