Cowboys Draft: Mekhi Garner CB Profile – Why he Fits
By Cassidy Cook
The Dallas Cowboys are in dire need of a second cornerback and depth outside of Trevon Diggs. Anthony Brown is coming off a significant injury, he’s also a free-agent, and Bland has been up and down during his limited starts. After grabbing a stud in rounds 1 or 2, Dallas could swing back around with one of their projected 4th-round picks and grab a Dan Quinn prototype in round 4 by selecting Mekhi Garner out of LSU.
Mekhi Garner is a tall-framed and lengthy cornerback with straight-line speed. The Dan Quinn prototype is a Lafayette transfer who played his final college season at the University of Louisiana helping the Tigers on their way to an Orange Bowl victory over Clemson.
Mekhi Garner has the size, length, and instincts to bring the much needed depth and security needed in the Cowboys secondary.
Although Mekhi Garner isn’t a fully polished prospect and is projected as a fourth round prospect, he has the size and instincts to develop into a key-player or even a starter depending on how things play out.
The Cowboys current cornerback situation is very bleak outside of Trevon Diggs. Anthony Brown appears to be heading out the door in free agency after a season ending injury while DaRon Bland is up and down, and Kelvin Joseph looks to solely be a special teams contributor.
Standing at 6-foot-2, 220lbs, Mekhi Garner is in the 94th percentile for height and 100th percentile for weight at the cornerback position. On top of his size, he also has Dan Quinn’s favorite attribute in his defensive backs, LENGTH. He has 10-inch hands which falls in the 97th percentile and 32.5-inch arms which is in the 86th percentile. With size, length, and straight-line speed Mekhi Garner is an intriguing prospect who fits in DQ’s defensive scheme.
Relying mostly on his size and length, Mekhi Garner needs to improve his technique when it comes to man-coverage. Relying too much on his strength and size, Garner tends to get a little handsy at times when beat at the line of scrimmage. This allows opposing receivers to draw a few penalties or beat him on a double move to run free behind him at times.
Mekhi Garner needs to improve his technique and man coverage but his size and length make him a solid rotational piece in zone coverages with the upside of becoming a starter if called upon.
Projected Draft Spot: Ranked CB17 by NFL Draft Buzz and outside the top 20 for TDN, Garner is Projected to go somewhere in the 4th or 5th round. He could move up to a late 3 or solid 4th depending on the combine and how he interviews.