FRISCO -- The San Francisco 49ers created an intersection of ability and opportunity in 1981.

It was risky -- starting three rookies in the defensive backfield -- but rewarding. The 49ers captured their first Lombardi Trophy that season.

The same scenario could be facing the Cowboys in 2017.

The 49ers were horrible in pass coverage in 1980. Only three teams allowed more yards passing than San Francisco and only four allowed more touchdowns. The opposition completed 66.1 percent of its passes, and the 49ers were able to intercept only 17 of them. That porous pass defense helped pave the way to a 6-10 finish.

The draft would be Bill Walsh's path to fix his secondary. The 49ers selected cornerback Ronnie Lott in the first round in 1981, cornerback Eric Wright in the second and safety Carlton Williamson in the third. Lott was an All-America at Southern Cal and Wright an All-Big Eight selection at Missouri. All three reported to training at the top of the depth chart.

"It was a done deal that was what we were going to do when we drafted them," said George Seifert, the defensive backfield coach of the 1981 49ers. "We were going to start them."

The turnaround was dramatic. The 49ers vaulted all the way to sixth in the NFL in pass defense in 1981, allowing 13 fewer touchdown passes that season and 55 fewer yards per game. That rookie-laden coverage unit allowed the opposition to complete only 53.1 percent of its passes with 27 interceptions.

Free safety Dwight Hicks, the only holdover from 1980, intercepted nine passes and Lott seven. Both were voted to the Pro Bowl. Williamson intercepted four passes and Wright three. The 49ers never allowed more than 260 yards passing in a game all season on the way to a 13-3 record.

"As I look back, those guys were so competitive," said Seifert, who went on to become head coach of the 49ers and win two Super Bowls himself. "We never thought of them as rookies, and they didn't think of themselves as rookies.

"I don't know that I noticed it as much then as I do now in my later years. The way they acted, how they picked things up and how they competed, it comes into focus more. They didn't take anything from anyone. They felt they belonged where they were, and they were going to get it done."

And they did. For a long time.

Williamson played his entire eight-year career with the 49ers, going to two Pro Bowls and winning three Super Bowl rings. Wright played his entire 10-year career with the 49ers, also going to two Pro Bowls and winning four Super Bowl rings. Lott played 10 seasons with the 49ers, going to nine Pro Bowls and winning four Super Bowls. He was named to the NFL's 1980s all-decade team and chosen to the league's 75th anniversary team. He has a bust in Canton.

The Cowboys have their own coverage issues. They finished 26th in the NFL in pass defense a year ago, allowing an average of 260 yards per game. Ben Roethlisberger lit the Cowboys up for 400 yards last fall, and Kirk Cousins and Brian Hoyer slapped them around for 300-yard games. The Cowboys also lacked plays in the secondary, intercepting only nine passes.

Since the end of last season, three defensive backfield starters have departed in free agency: cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne and safety Barry Church. So there are vacancy signs in the secondary -- and the Cowboys drafted in April to fill them, selecting cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie in the second round and Jourdan Lewis in the third and safety Xavier Woods in the fifth.

Are the Cowboys willing to go all in like the 1981 49ers?

Awuzie was a four-year starter at Colorado and a two-time second-team All-Pac 12 selection. His game is physicality. He was a hitter in the Lott mold with 273 career tackles. He also broke up 13 passes last season for the NCAA's fifth-ranked pass defense and 35 in his career. He left Colorado with three career interceptions.

Lewis was a two-year starter at Michigan and a first-team All-America last fall. He set a school record for career passes broken up with 45 and left Michigan with six career interceptions. Like Awuzie, he is physical in coverage.

For a secondary in dire need of plays, the Cowboys may have found the right guy in Woods. He was a three-year starter and a two-time All-Conference USA selection at Louisiana Tech. He intercepted 14 career passes and forced six fumbles. When he's around, the ball is up for grabs.

There were problems at the back end of the Dallas defense last season. The Cowboys have taken the necessary steps to fix them in the draft this offseason. Can two of them start for the Cowboys as rookies? Can all three of them start?

"It's conceivable," said Cowboys defensive backfield coach Joe Baker. "We drafted those guys because we feel they have starter ability. Are we going to get there at the start of the year? I don't know. But we feel they all have the ability to start. The best man will get the job. That always plays out on the grass."

Like San Francisco in 1981, an intersection of ability and opportunity awaits three rookie defensive backs in Dallas in 2017.