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Film room: 3 draft prospects who could replace key Cowboys free agents, including Byron Jones’ possible successor

No. 1 cornerbacks don’t just grow on trees, but the Cowboys could find one in the draft to develop.

With free agency about a month away, the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of tough decisions to make on some key impending free agents.

Everyone is focused on the negotiations between the team and Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, but those are far from the only decisions that will have to be made, as the team has a few other key contributors who are scheduled to become free agents. (And let’s face it, Prescott and Cooper will likely be back in Cowboys uniforms in 2020, whether it’s because of long-term extensions or the various tags available to the team.)

Chief among them are Robert Quinn, Byron Jones and Randall Cobb, who are all starting-caliber players who fulfilled necessary roles. Having said that, there’s a chance all three end up playing for new teams if exposed to free agency.

Those upcoming decisions will have a massive impact on draft plans because if the Cowboys fail to fill holes left by Quinn, Jones or Cobb’s departures in free agency, those positions could push to the top of the queue in the draft.

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With that in mind, let’s look at early-round prospects who could replace some of Dallas’ impending free agents.

Henry Ruggs III, WR, Alabama

While Cobb appears the most likely of the aforementioned trio to return because of his previous relationship with Mike McCarthy, there’s a chance Dallas opts to go younger through the draft.

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Now, it would likely cost the Cowboys’ first-round pick, which may be better used for a defense with more holes, but there may not be a better fit for the slot position than Henry Ruggs III.

Listed at 6 feet, 190 pounds, Ruggs is a Ferrari in pads, using his fabled 4.2 speed to run by defenders with consistency. He is the type of receiver whose game-breaking speed will force defenses to put a safety over the top in an effort to cap his vertical routes, which should open up opportunities for other receivers.

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Ruggs’ speed would be an excellent weapon from the slot, where he would be able to really test the seam and deep middle zone of defenses while also serving as a dangerous weapon on crossers.

His ability to release against press coverage makes it tough for defenses to slow him with physicality at the line of scrimmage. Ruggs utilizes deceptive footwork, quick hands and a high football IQ to set up and take advantage of defensive backs in press coverage, which is rare for a receiver entering the NFL these days.

Ruggs’ ability as a deep threat is boosted by his ability to track the ball and adjust accordingly downfield. He’s the type of receiver where the quarterback can just launch it deep and allow him to adjust and run under it.

Tying everything together, Ruggs also has reliable hands that consistently make grabs in and outside his frame. He shows nice concentration and ball skills when stationary, on the move and through contact.

Like most speedsters, Ruggs relies a bit more on his rare speed to separate rather than precise route running. Don’t get it twisted, though, Ruggs is a good route runner -- he’s just missing some of the finer nuances that could really take his game to the next level (such as consistently stacking a receiver on vertical passes).

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Despite his lack of size, Ruggs isn’t afraid to stick his nose in the fray to make a block -- just ask Grant Delpit (above clip) -- which is a great sign not only from a physicality perspective but also a temperament perspective. Most wide receivers hate blocking, so it’s good to see when a player respects his craft enough to put forth the effort to be a decent blocker.

The price tag may be steep for a team needing a lot of help on defense, but by selecting Ruggs to replace Cobb as the team’s starting slot receiver, the Cowboys could put together one of the most explosive offenses in football. With the offensive line, Prescott, Cooper, Ruggs and Ezekiel Elliott, the question would no longer be whether the Cowboys can play “good” defense -- the question would be whether Dallas can play “good enough” defense to not waste the offense’s output.

Given the way the roster looks right now, that’s a good problem to have.

K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU

Maybe the Cowboys decide to re-sign Cobb instead of drafting a receiver in Round 1. LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson would then warrant consideration to replace Quinn.

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Like Ruggs, the Cowboys would likely need to use their first-round pick if they wanted to select Chaisson.

Listed at 6-4, 250 pounds, Chaisson could replace Quinn as Dallas’ speed rusher opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. Considering the whispers that Mike Nolan will employ “multiple” fronts on defense, Chaisson has the versatility to align with his hand in the ground (three-point stance) as a traditional defensive end in an even front and in a two-point stance off the edge as an outside linebacker in an odd front.

He is explosive out of either stance, but he looks to be a little bit quicker off the ball from a three-point stance. Nevertheless, Chaisson displays outstanding upfield burst and acceleration from either position, which he uses to stress the pass sets of opposing offensive tackles.

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Like Quinn, Chaisson has the speed to race offensive tackles to the corner before showing off his rare flexibility to bend around it and flatten to the quarterback. Although he finished with a seemingly unimpressive 6.5 sacks in his final season, that number would have been much higher if LSU’s interior rush did a better job of preventing quarterbacks from stepping up or escaping the pocket.

Chaisson isn’t a one-note speed rusher. He’s shown an ability to employ deceptive footwork and a plethora of different hand techniques. Like most smart speed rushers, he has developed a long arm to work from speed to power when blockers kick to defend his speed. Chaisson has also developed a nice inside spin to counter when offensive tackles overset to combat his speed up the edge.

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Chaisson’s lack of bulk may cause him to get overwhelmed as a run defender at points early in his career, but from a technical perspective, he does a nice job of setting the edge with extension although his footwork needs to be cleaned up a bit. He is also a little slow to shed at times, which limited his run game production a bit.

He likely wouldn’t do it much in Dallas, but Chaisson’s athletic ability transitions well in coverage, where he shows an ability to match running backs out of the backfield or drop into a short zone.

One of the best indications that Chaisson is going to transition well to the NFL is that he tended to play his best games against the best competition. After an ankle injury noticeably slowed him early in 2019, 4.5 of his 6.5 sacks came in LSU’s last four games (Texas A&M, Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson). Add in that Chaisson finished with 10 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss against Alabama. When Chaisson faced NFL-caliber talent, he produced at a high level.

The NFL scouting combine will be huge for him. Seemingly every year, there’s an uber-athletic edge rusher who disappoints (Alabama’s Tim Williams in 2018 and Florida’s Jachai Polite in 2019), but if Chaisson can run a 40 in the 4.6s with a three-cone time under 7 seconds to go with good results in the vertical jump, broad jump and medical testing -- a torn ACL ended his 2018 season -- don’t be surprised if his name starts to gain traction as he climbs up boards.

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If he disappoints athletically at the combine, then forget about him as a potential replacement for Quinn -- never draft prospects who seemingly won with athleticism in college but don’t test well athletically early in the draft, especially at defensive end.

Ultimately, it’s a surprise that Chaisson’s name isn’t mentioned more as a potential option at pick No. 17. Even if the Cowboys re-sign Quinn, the San Francisco 49ers proved that a defense can become elite after investing heavily in the pass rush.

Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU

As free agency inches closer, it appears more and more likely that Byron Jones will be able to test the market. As big of a mistake as that is -- No. 1 cornerbacks don’t just grow on trees -- the Cowboys could opt to use the draft to try to find a young corner who can develop into the No. 1 option down the road.

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Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah, a star at South Grand Prairie High School, would be the best replacement because he can likely slide into the No. 1 corner slot from Day 1. But he’s not going to make it out of the top 10, or even the top five, so the Cowboys will have to look elsewhere. Luckily, this draft class is full of effective cornerbacks who, if they hit their development ceiling, could become No. 1-corner types.

One of the top options is TCU’s Jeff Gladney, who is one of the best pure man coverage corners in the draft. He has finely tuned feet, which enable him to stay in-phase with receivers in coverage. Gladney does an excellent job of reading a receiver’s low hip, which allows him to anticipate the break point and routes while in tight man coverage.

Gladney’s quick feet and fluid hips enable him to quickly change direction to remain sticky on receivers when need be. He has the quickness to survive in the slot to go with the deep speed to survive on the outside.

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Gladney is also effective in zone coverage. He understands his responsibilities in zone and does well to take on and pass off receivers early on in the play. He shows good awareness in zone but is a half step slow to react than when in man coverage.

Some will be put off by the lack of turnover production by Gladney, who had just one interception in his senior year and five in his entire TCU career. But Gladney gets his hands on plenty of balls, with 26 passes defensed in his last two seasons. If he can get a little more comfortable playing the ball in the air, those interception totals should rise in the NFL.

While it may be impossible to replace Jones’ play immediately, Gladney is the type of player who can develop into a No. 1 corner in the near future.

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