Complete Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft: Final Prediction

Troy Pride Jr, CB, Notre Dame

Two trades were responsible for this move. The first was a trade down with the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys traded pick 51 for 55 (Round 2) and 225 (Round 7). Pick 55 was then traded to the New York Jets for pick number 68 (Round 3) and 158 (Round 5). At pick 68, the Cowboys select a cornerback that they showed a lot of pre-draft interest in.

I traded the pick down twice because the remaining players didn’t match the value of the picks.

Pride has decent size and athleticism to be an outside cornerback at the next level. While he has sub-31-inch arms, he stands at 5-foot-11 and 193 pounds and tested extremely well at the combine. The Irishman ran an unofficial 4.4-second 40-yard dash, ran a 6.94-second 3-cone drill, vertically jumped 35.5 inches, and broad jumped 119 inches. Pride confirmed his speed, agility, and explosiveness that was on display in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl.

Pride does have a way to go as a defender. While he moves well, Pride needs to learn how to play the ball better. (I can see each one of you rolling your eyes, but I don’t think the Cowboys would be eyeing him if they didn’t think they could turn him into a productive player) Catching four interceptions in your career is exactly the opposite of what Dallas said they wanted in a cornerback but there is a silver lining here.

Some cornerbacks have struggled to intercept passes in college, but have thrived in the NFL and vice versa. (Jalen Ramsey and Byron Jones are examples of either example) With Pride’s ability to stay sticky with receivers and deal with the physicality of bigger receivers, he needs to become more confident at finishing plays. In zone coverage, he needs to be more aware of his assignments, but the said could be said for several cornerbacks in this draft.

If there is anyone who can raise the morale of a player to get them to be more aggressive, the tandem of Al Harris and Maurice Linguist are seemingly the perfect duo. The aggression should hopefully carry into his tackling and run-stopping as he looked noticeably weak as a run stopper. Sometimes it takes a coaching staff to believe in someone before they reach their full potential; the Cowboys will be doing that in this particular mock draft.