Cowboys - Build The Board, #29

[CT Cowboy Fan]

I went Delpit here. If I told you this time last year we’d get Delpit at 28 you’d all jump for joy. Does he have tackling issues, yes. But his ceiling is perennial pro bowler if he solves that one issue in his game and the value is great here.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

On 4/12/2020 at 12:49 PM, DaBoys said:

You like him better than Winfield?

I did my homework to get you an answer

Short answer: yes, I do like Delpit better than Winfield

Longer answer: I don't think I would passionately disagree with a ranking that had any of those three as the top safety. But my personal rankings would be 1) Delpit, 2) Winfield, and 3) McKinney. Here are my thoughts on each player:

Grant Delpit

If you told me that in 2030, a safety from this class would be named to the all-decade team, I would bet everything that it was Delpit. I'm not saying he's going to be that good, but to me, he's the only one of the group who clearly has that potential. Delpit can be an assassin in every phase of the game. He's constantly hunting for big plays, and he makes a bunch of them. From a coverage standpoint, he can do anything you want from him. He can spy, he can blitz, he can make big plays in run support.

People give him a hard time about his tackling and, !my word!, does he deserve that criticism sometimes. Sometimes he'll be a matador and just totally whiff or get turned around. Other times he will lose his balance and bounce off a ball carrier. But I will say a few things about this: 1) I really don't think this is about a lack of ability or willingness. He's more the willing to throw his body around and does make a ton of plays as a tackler. To me, it's more about the fundamentals, which I hope coaching can help him improve here. And 2) everything else he does well enough to make up for this 5% of laughable low-lights, IMO. If you are the type who wants to never worry about your safety, then I can't blame you for thinking this is not your guy (at least early in his career). But if you are the type who wants a game-changer in the deep part of the field, this is your man.

Antoine Winfield Jr.

Really, really like Winfield. He's got a lot of his dad in him. There aren't really any major holes to his skillset. But I have hime behind Delpit for 3 reasons 1) I'm not too worried about his size from an ability standpoint, as I really think he'll be able to overcome that, just like his dad. But can his body hold up over his a career as a safety? That is a concern. 2) He doesn't really have much potential as a TE eraser. Like, you'll never be able to match him up with Zach Ertz and hope to succeed, the way we could with Byron. and 3) From a playmaker standpoint, I see a "right place, right time" kind of guy. Which is absolutely a skill that is valuable. But there is a difference between being in the right place at the right time against New Mexico State, and hunting turnovers against NFL quarterbacks.

Xavier McKinney

Is he ready to step in as a rookie and play 95% of the snaps? Probably. Is he as safe a prospect as exists in the back half of round 1? Probably. But even still, I just have such a hard time getting excited about the guy. I think if you draft this guy, he'll plays a ton, you'l pick up his 5th year option, and then you think "meh, we could probably get roughly equivalent play for a lot cheaper than re-signing this guy long-term". I can't hate anybody who would like that out of a safety. Perhaps I'm spoiled from almost all of our 1st round picks becoming All-Pros. But I just think you can find a potential game-changer in this draft, and he isn't one of them, IMO. At #51 I'd be a lot more intrigued than in the back half of round 1.

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One other name I think is very worthwhile: Ashtyn Davis. If I could get him int the 3rd round, I'm very interested. Dude will be a long-term starting free safety in the NFL.