I hate to be Captain Obvious, but the Dallas Cowboys desperately need to upgrade in the defensive back department. Cornerback Brandon Carr is coming off a rough season and will count $12.7 million against the salary cap next season. Morris Claiborne is coming off of major knee surgery and has never lived up to the first-round hype since being drafted in 2012. Overall, the Dallas defense ranked 26th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (251.9) and 28th in opposing completion percentage (66.5) last year. For those keeping score at home, that's not good.
Naturally, the Cowboys have been linked to Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson in the first round of the NFL Draft this month. But another name has been floated more and more recently: Connecticut's Byron Jones.
"If he is there at No. 27, I would have no problem with the Cowboys turning his name in," ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer wrote. "He is big. He seems to like to be physical and he can also turn and run with guys. He was a safety, which gives him an idea of what the entire secondary is supposed to do, so he is not just closed off to one side of the field. Among the players expected to be available near the end of the first round, I would put him and Kevin Johnson as the top two cornerbacks, based on what I've seen so far."
Jones had a good reputation at Connecticut and was known as a hard worker who led by example. It's not the icing on the cake but it can't hurt that his teammates affectionately nicknamed him "Senator Jones."
His combine performance, specifically his broad jump and vertical, has had scouts buzzing for weeks now and the tape matches up. Dallas will have a tough decision on their hands if both he and Johnson are still on the board. The Cowboys will be in an even tougher decision if the rumored interest of the New England Patriots turns out to be true as well.
The NFL Draft kicks off on April 30.
