Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Balancing Value, Risk, and Need

Dallas Cowboys Round 4, Pick 135

James Wiggins, SAF

Cincinnati

The Dallas Cowboys notorious undervalue the safety position. They invest very little draft capital in the position, and similarly, very little cash. So assuming they didn’t have a fundamental change of heart this year, we should probably expect more of the same here in the 2021 NFL Draft.

In free agency, the Dallas Cowboys were true to form. They signed a pair of low cost free agents in Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee to one year deals, filling the immediate need. While I think both players will turn out much better than the previous years’ free agent safeties, they are short term fixes.

James Wiggins didn’t miss a single tackle last season.

Dallas wants to bring in a new “Xavier Woods”. They want a Day 3 steal to come in and play a big role with modest efficiency. They don’t want greatness, but rather value. Luckily for them there are a handful of safeties in this class that fit that exact description.

In this scenario I have James Wiggins as the man.

Wiggins, one of my pet cats at safety, is easy to love. He’s strong and physical. Despite being just 5-foot-11, 208 lbs, he made headlines when he squatted a staggering 725lbs. He hits with power and accuracy, taking good angles and missing a total of zero missed tackles in 2020.

Wiggins is a team leader his coaches and teammates love. He has good range in the secondary and his 4.41 speed make him a possible single high safety in Dan Quinn’s defense. He’s a kick returner and special teams weapon as well.

Wiggins can be used in just about any safety role the Dallas Cowboys ask of him. When targeted last year, he only allowed 84 yards for a 34.4% completion rate.

If I would have missed on getting either of my OT targets D’Ante Smith or Walker Little, I’m using my 115 pick on Wiggins. I also considered moving up from 135 to secure him since I still have the 7th rounder to play with.

So to recap: Wiggins never misses tackles. He doesn’t give up completions. He’s smart with a natural feel for the game. He has ball skills (16 PDs and 4 INTs in last two seasons played) and he’s of high character.

Let’s go.