Dallas Cowboys Draft: 7 Rounds of 7 Safeties
6th Round
Jamar Johnson, Indiana
Value: Solid
An increasingly popular name as of late, Johnson first introduced himself to Cowboys Twitter with an interception against Justin Fields. The play was excellent leaving many wanting to watch the rest of his tape. Turns out it might’ve been fool’s gold as opposed to consistent play.
Johnson projects as a free safety at the next level displaying solid athletic ability and solid range. He does display solid instincts and route recognition to match receivers correctly but will suffer lapses in coverage because he lacks eye discipline to consistently key the QBs’ eyes in zone coverage while covering his 1/3 or 1/2 of the field.
When he sees things correctly, he displays enough change of direction and acceleration to match routes; when he misses reads his athletic ability isn’t good enough to save him. Even though he has seven interceptions in his three years in Bloomington, he only has five pass deflections. His flashes are good, they just don’t happen enough.
Formerly a cornerback, Johnson also displays solid man coverage ability with good body control and instincts to react to the WR’s hips and mirror his footwork and route stem. His solid athletic ability allows him to play off coverage and transition towards the receiver out of breaks.
Johnson struggles to play near the line of scrimmage. He displays adequate competitive toughness and play strength to consistently make tackles near the line of scrimmage. That just doesn’t seem to be a big part of his game as even in the open field he doesn’t tackle consistently.
With Johnson, the Cowboys get a chance to develop a legitimate playmaker at the free safety position with a day 3 pick. In a vacuum, he could be the perfect prospect for the team considering how late he will likely be drafted. The team already has Kazee starting and as previously mentioned, already has two box safeties. If he develops consistency behind Kazee, the Cowboys could have what the Baltimore Ravens in DeShone Elliott.
Steal of the draft incoming? I’d sure hope so.