Film room: 3 potential CB targets for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 NFL draft

Continuing our series on potential Dallas Cowboys draft targets on defense, we now turn our attention to the cornerback position, which is littered with talent.

Luckily for the Cowboys, a good portion of the CB talent in the 2021 NFL draft does meet the size and length criteria that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn values on the outside. While there are exceptions, typically, Quinn wants his outside CBs to be 6-foot or above with around 32-inch arms, as that size/length makes it easier to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and contest the catch point on passes downfield.

If a player doesn’t have that kind of length, but the Cowboys still show interest, it’s probably because they view that player as a slot cornerback or safety, positions where the size/length requirements appear to be much more lax.

As things stand now, cornerback is certainly one of the team’s biggest needs, as former starters Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis are scheduled to enter free agency in March.

With that in mind, let’s dive into a few potential CB targets who could help fill one of the biggest needs on Dallas’ roster...

+++

If you missed out on the other parts of this series, you can find them below:

• DT: NC State’s Alim McNeill, Ohio State’s Haskell Garrett, BYU’s Khyiris Tonga
• EDGE: Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari, Miami’s Jaelan Phillips, Pitt’s Rashad Weaver
• LB: Notre Dame’s Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Missouri’s Nick Bolton, LSU’s Jabril Cox

+++

Patrick Surtain, Alabama

Son of a former All-Pro CB of the same name, Patrick Surtain is the most technically sound CB in this class and, in my opinion, is already a better CB than Dallas’ second-round pick from a year ago -- Trevon Diggs. Before you throw an expletive-laden rant my way, just remember that Surtain was basically bred to play cornerback by his father whereas Diggs didn’t even play the position until 2017.

Listed 6-2 and 202 pounds, Surtain possesses the size and length Quinn values at the cornerback position in addition to his technical efficiency. Coming from one of the most complicated coverage schemes in all of college football, Surtain has the versatility to thrive in any NFL scheme under the sun.

Whether it’s heavy man or zone coverage (or any of the “match” coverage variants) with press, catch or off alignments, Surtain can get the job done, and get it done consistently.

In man coverage, Surtain thrives in press, as his long arms and play strength enable him to disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage. In addition, Surtain does an outstanding job staying in-phase with receivers in-and-out of breaks and when attacked vertically. Surtain is rarely out of position, which enables him to consistently stay true to his technique and stay sticky to receivers when one-on-one.

In zone coverage, Surtain’s eyes are routinely in the right place while attaining the necessary spacing given the zone coverage. This enables him to consistently condense throwing windows and dissuade QBs from targeting his area.

One of the best indicators of future performance is past performance, and Surtain has yet to have a poor season. The fact that Surtain earned one of the starting CB gigs in Nick Saban’s defense as a rookie is another testament to his ability. And despite playing over 800 snaps in each of his three seasons at Alabama, Surtain never gave up more than 380 receiving yards, a 58% completion percentage, or a 72 passer rating in a season while being targeted at least 45 times each year, per Pro Football Focus. That’s uncommon in college football, especially so in the SEC.

While the term “safe” is used entirely too often in regards to NFL prospects, as no player is truly a safe pick in the draft, Surtain is about as safe of a prospect as you will find, as he possesses a higher floor than any other CB in this class.

If selected, the potential problem that Dallas could run into is that Surtain does have some long speed concerns, similar to the ones Diggs had coming out last year. With Surtain and Diggs as the team’s two primary starting CBs, there are questions as to whether Dallas will have an answer when pitted against the Tyreek Hills of the NFL. However, in Quinn’s scheme, I think Surtain’s speed concerns would be mitigated a bit since the CBs tend to play on top of receivers rather than in a trail position where long speed is more important.

Caleb Farley, Virginia Tech

Whereas Surtain has the highest floor among the CBs in the draft, Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley -- without a doubt -- has the highest ceiling. Similar to Diggs last year, Farley is another prospect who played at a high level after changing positions in college. Farley began his college career at wide receiver before transitioning to cornerback in 2018, which has proven to be a fortuitous switch given his play and current draft stock.

Listed at 6-2 and 207 pounds, Farley may possess similar size as Surtain, but he’s a ways away from becoming the all-around technician Surtain is in coverage, as Farley can get a little loose with his transitions and at the top end of routes. He’s not a poor technician, by any means, and actually has a lot to like in that department given his lack of time at the position, especially when you see him click and close from off alignments, but he just isn’t on the same level as Surtain ... right now.

Nonetheless, what Farley may lack in terms of technical refinement, he more than makes up for with athleticism and ball skills. Farley possesses high-end recovery speed, which enables him to quickly close on any separation a receiver may create during their route. In addition, Farley is an alpha when the ball is in the air, as his time at receiver has obviously bled into his skill set as a cornerback. Farley turns 50/50 balls into 70/30 balls in his favor, as his size, length, leaping ability and ball skills turned him into a ball magnet at Virginia Tech (six INTs and 17 PBUs in two seasons).

While he had some issues in 2018, which was his first year ever playing CB, Farley played lights out in 2019, allowing just 18 receptions (on 50 targets; 36% completion rate when targeted) for 257 yards and a touchdown while allowing only a 26.8 passer rating when targeted.

Farley’s a bit of a riskier top-10 selection than Surtain would be. He opted out of the 2020 season after his stellar 2019 performance. If he repeated his 2019 performance in 2020, he’d probably be the unquestioned top CB in this class and a potential top-five pick. However, CB is one of the positions where there can be a significant amount of variance from year to year, so it would have been nice to see Farley prove he can do it again. In addition to the aforementioned opt-out and technical inefficiencies, Farley also has a scary medical history, as he suffered a non-contact ACL tear in 2017 in addition to getting offseason back surgery to clear up nagging back spasms that bothered him in 2019.

However, as Super Bowl champion head coach Bruce Arians would say, “No risk it, no biscuit,” and if Farley hits, he has the potential to hit bigger than any other CB in this class. Fairley’s elite athleticism would be a great complement to Diggs at CB for the Cowboys, as Farley could handle the speedier receivers that Diggs may not have the long speed to keep up with in man coverage.

Tyson Campbell, Georgia

Interestingly enough, Surtain was high school teammates with the next CB who could be the apple of Dallas’ eye during the draft -- Georgia’s Tyson Campbell, as they were four- and five-star recruits coming out of American Heritage School in Florida. Imagine trying to pass the ball on that defense.

He’s not quite on Surtain’s level, but Campbell is a very good prospect in his own right who, in my opinion, would be a great fit in Quinn’s defense.

Listed 6-2 and 185 pounds, Campbell is similar to Farley in the vein that he’s a top-tier athlete with size and length who still needs some technical refinement, though in different ways. His movement skills enable him to stay in-phase with receivers throughout the route. His fluid hips and easy transition ability enable him to stay sticky to receivers in-and-out of breaks. Because of his athletic superiority, Campbell displays impressive patience at the line of scrimmage, though I’d like to see him utilize his length to jam and disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage more often. His length and speed allow him to do a great job defending the vertical third, which is a big reason why he’d fit Quinn’s defense like a glove.

Unfortunately, where Farley thrives when the ball is in the air, Campbell definitely has some “Chidobe Awuzie” to his game, as he’ll provide tight coverage but lacks the ball skills and awareness to fully take advantage, allowing receivers to tilt the tide in their favor at the catch point even when contested. And it shows in his lack of ball production, as Campbell has just one interception and nine pass breakups in three seasons at Georgia.

Nevertheless, there are just not many CBs with Campbell’s frame, length and movement skills. So, while the lack of ball skills is certainly concerning, the other positives in his skillset would make me comfortable taking Campbell on Day 2.

Others to watch

The draft is littered with long CBs who would be a great fit in the Cowboys’ defense, so I wanted to make sure to mention a few others for those interested.

Jaycee Horn, South Carolina: Son of former All-Pro WR Joe Horn, Jaycee oozes confidence and plays a very physical brand of coverage. At 6-1 and 205 pounds, Horn is one of the better press-man CBs in this class. While some have him on the same tier as Surtain and Farley, his grabby tendencies in coverage and lack of elite athleticism make me a bit bearish on his prospects in relation to the others.

Ifeatu Melifonwu, Syracuse: Brother to former second-round safety Obi Melifonwu, Ifeatu’s draft stock has been rising as more analysts gain access to his film. Listed at 6-3 and 213 pounds, Melifonwu possesses uncommon movement skills for his size and thrives in zone coverage. Unfortunately, Melifonwu hasn’t yet figured out how to take full advantage of his size and length, as he still needs a lot of refinement in press coverage.

Eric Stokes, Georgia: Some analysts rank Stokes higher than Campbell, and while that probably won’t be the case for me, it’s still easy to see why so many love Stokes’ game. He’s not the athlete that Campbell is, but at 6-1 and 185 pounds, he does display much better ball skills and a similar press ability. Personally, I worry about Stokes’ quickness and change-of-direction ability, as he does tend to cede some separation in and out of receivers’ breaks.

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.