Dallas Cowboys Draft Targets: 7 cornerbacks in 7 different rounds

Lamar Jackson, Nebraska

Round Grade: Late 6th/Early 7th

Value: Reach

Percentage Available: 100%

Former Cowboys defensive backs coach would have drooled over the sight of Lamar Jackson. Not to be confused with the MVP QB of the Baltimore Ravens, this Lamar Jackson just finished up his senior season in Lincoln and does not have the athleticism or tape to warrant a high draft pick and optimism.

Standing at 6-foot-2, 208 pounds, all Jackson needs is 32-inch arms and he is everything teams that target long corners want. (Guess what, he does!) Unfortunately, there isn’t too much excitement with the rest of Jackson. His 4.58-second 40-yard dash and ten bench reps at 225 pounds somehow do enough justice as to what he is as a player.

The cornhusker isn’t very fast. He has to rely on his long arms and jamming to disrupt the path of receivers at the line of scrimmage. Only issue? He isn’t very disruptive. When he has to change direction and stay with his receiver, he isn’t very consistent. He tries to compensate by using his long arms to disrupt the timing, but it resulted in pass interference penalties more often than anyone would like.

For someone of his stature, one would expect Jackson to be a better tackler. Unfortunately, a mix of bad tackling angles and not enough strength resulted in ball carriers slipping out of his grasp. In his four years in Lincoln, Jackson never recorded more than 30 individual tackles in a single season. While he made some plays in the backfield, how often are outside cornerbacks asked to do that?

However, for all the bad in Jackson’s game, there are some bright moments when he plays in zone coverage. When spot dropping into a shallow zone, he could disrupt tight end and wide receiver routes. As a pattern matcher deep, he was able to the battle of leverage at the line of scrimmage and push receivers outside.

However, that still wasn’t done consistently enough to warrant a higher selection than with the Cowboys first fifth-round selection.

In a Quarters scheme, the responsibilities of the cornerbacks can vary within a single play as what happens on one side doesn’t happen on the other side. Unfortunately, Jackson’s athleticism and technique limit his potential contributions, however, he could have a role as a third-down cornerback? (That might just be something I made up)