Continuing our look at potential fits for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2020 NFL draft, we move on to the secondary, which is one of the most talent-rich groups in the entire class.

After losing Byron Jones, the Cowboys made the wise decision to re-sign Anthony Brown, a versatile cornerback who can start outside and in the slot if need be, and signed Maurice Canady, a young corner who provides great depth with the ability to produce on special teams. Dallas also added Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, a versatile coverage safety who thrives in two-high shells and matches tight ends with ease in man coverage, to fill the void vacated by Jeff Heath.

These moves helped fill immediate needs in the secondary, but they did little in terms of long-term solutions. Right now, the Cowboys have 18 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next year, according to Over The Cap, six of whom are defensive backs -- Xavier Woods, Jourdan Lewis, Chidobe Awuzie, C.J. Goodwin, Clinton-Dix and Canady.

So while the Cowboys found some short-term answers in free agency, the long-term ones should come via the draft.

Without further ado, let’s look at a few fits for the Cowboys in this draft. Given the depth of this year’s class at corner and safety, it should be noted that there are many more players who would be great fits for the Cowboys but won’t be mentioned below, including Clemson corner A.J. Terrell, TCU corner Jeff Gladney, Cal safety Ashtyn Davis and Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr., to name a few.

CJ Henderson, CB, Florida

Florida’s CJ Henderson is the second-best cover corner in this draft behind Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah (of South Grand Prairie), so he should be one of Dallas’ primary targets in the first round.

Listed at 6-1, 204 pounds, Henderson has prototypical size at the position to go with elite athletic ability. He has the size to go toe-to-toe with big-bodied possession receivers, the quickness to mirror and match swifter receivers, and the deep speed to blanket the burners.

Henderson excels in press-man coverage, where his elite athleticism enables him to effortlessly mirror and match receivers at every level of the defense. Here’s a great example of that against last year’s Biletnikoff Award winner, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase:

Florida's CJ Henderson had some killer reps in press against LSU's Ja'Marr Chase. pic.twitter.com/FpIVJYCnjR — johnowning (@JohnOwning) March 30, 2020

Henderson is aligned head-up with Chase at the top of the screen. Knowing that he has split-safety help over the top, Henderson understands he can be aggressive at the line of scrimmage because the safety is there to bail him out if needed. And with split safeties, Henderson knows there is a void in the middle of the field.

So once the ball is snapped, Henderson employs a strong jam with his inside hand in an attempt to dissuade Chase from an inside release. He lands the jam, and although Chase does release inside, Henderson did an excellent job of disrupting the timing of the route on top of widening and flattening Chase’s release.

While he is a press-man dynamo, Henderson is also effective in off-man and zone coverage, displaying impressive instincts and processing ability when providing receivers with an initial cushion.

As good as Henderson is in coverage, he is bad in run support and tackling. He is a certified liability as a tackler, not only from a technical perspective (he often ducks his head and doesn’t wrap up on contact), but also from a spacing and leverage standpoint.

But with his coverage ability, the Cowboys could easily work around the tackling issues because, let’s be honest, corners don’t get paid to tackle. They get paid to cover, and Henderson excels there. His tackling is likely the only reason he’d be available at pick No. 17 anyway, so it kind of plays into the Cowboys’ favor at this point although they would obviously attempt to improve the tackling.

Henderson is definitely on the short list of best-case scenarios for the Cowboys in Round 1.

Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

The Cowboys have shown interest in Kristian Fulton throughout the draft process, setting a FaceTime meeting with the LSU corner recently, according to a report. It’s easy to see why.

Listed at 6 feet, 197 pounds, Fulton has good enough size and athleticism for the position. He was arguably the most productive corner in the country last year while seeing a steady dose of high-caliber competition. In 2019: He allowed just 31 catches on 70 targets for 453 yards (14.6 yards per catch, 6.47 yards per target) with three touchdowns, grabbed one interception and forced 20 incompletions (tied for first among corners), according to Pro Football Focus.

Like Henderson, Fulton excels in press-man coverage, showing outstanding patience and a lack of fear at the line of scrimmage. Against Alabama, he aligned primarily against the electric Henry Ruggs III, who ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the scouting combine and will be a top-15 pick this year.

Given that Fulton (4.46 40) lacks Ruggs’ elite deep speed, one would think that he’d enact a conservative coverage plan on the Alabama speedster. But Fulton showed Ruggs no respect, continually crowding him at the line of scrimmage before disrupting his release and blanketing his route. Despite the inherent speed disadvantage, Fulton used his physicality to get Ruggs to play to his speed. Ruggs had a couple of wins, but there’s no doubt Fulton won the day in that matchup.

Impossible to play this route from off any better than Kristian Fulton did here. Read the route like a book. pic.twitter.com/du8BMx76Wo — johnowning (@JohnOwning) March 31, 2020

Fulton is also very good at the break point, anticipating and mirroring route breaks with consistency. This is a big reason why he was so disruptive at the catch point.

When Fulton doesn’t jam at the line of scrimmage, he can get turned around by receivers who employ hard sticks and multi-directional stems with their route, as he relies too heavily on a speed turn that gives receivers access to his blind spot (above clip).

He also tends to struggle from off coverage against the better route runners, as he was roasted by both Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy (above clip) and Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb last season.

In my opinion, pick No. 17 is a little too rich for Fulton at this point because he’s not quite on the same plane as Henderson. But if the Cowboys were to trade down in the late first round or gain another second-round pick, Fulton would be a much better value there.

Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama

Listed at 6-1, 205 pounds with 32 3/4-inch arms, Alabama’s Trevon Diggs is an ascending prospect with elite size and length for the position. A converted receiver, Diggs doesn’t have a ton of experience playing corner, having made the transition in 2017. However, he displayed steady improvement each season, displaying more and more comfort playing on the defensive side of the ball.

As one might expect from a former receiver, Diggs is not a good tackler. This was extremely evident against LSU, when he repeatedly missed tackles and sacrificed dirty yards because of a lack of physicality in the tackling department.

Diggs’ lack of physicality as a tackler doesn’t carry over to coverage, where is actually quite physical, using his size and length to bully opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage.

It's a shame that this play was invalidated because of an illegal substitution. Alabama CB Trevon Diggs does a great job sinking to defend the corner route. Doesn't get too hung on the underneath stuff. Very nice. pic.twitter.com/xAxbo0u6N3 — johnowning (@JohnOwning) April 1, 2020

Moreover, Diggs excels in zone coverage, which is surprising given his lack of experience. Alabama employs one of the most complicated defensive schemes in all of football, yet he displayed a masterful understanding of coverage concepts. Diggs’ zone spacing and awareness are fantastic. He can match vertical routes well from bail covert and he relates well to multiple receivers entering his zone. His interception, invalidated by an illegal substitution penalty (above clip), was outstanding and a great example of Diggs’ intelligence and play-making ability in zone coverage.

He isn’t a great athlete, appearing to lack the quickness to mirror receivers in press when he doesn’t land his hands and the deep speed to recover if initially beaten at the line of scrimmage. Diggs also appears to have some stiffness in his hips, which is illustrated when he’s forced to throw on the brakes to cover a curl/comeback from a vertical stem.

Still, the Cowboys wouldn’t be drafting Diggs for what he is now -- they would draft him because of what they think he can become. Corners with that kind of size and processing ability don’t grow on trees. Diggs would be an excellent fit in the second round if Dallas passes on a corner in the first.

Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama

Earlier in the offseason, Alabama’s Xavier McKinney was the player most frequently mocked to the Cowboys in the first round. For whatever reason, the buzz surrounding that pairing has seemingly decreased. It shouldn’t have.

Depending on whether you view Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons as a linebacker or safety, McKinney is the most versatile safety in this class. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is one of the brightest defensive minds in all of football regardless of level, and he trusted McKinney to play a variety of roles in the Crimson Tide’s complicated defense, which says a lot about his ability and football IQ.

Alabama safety Xavier McKinney is a baller. Active and all he does is make plays. pic.twitter.com/0Mz2XtlcOX — Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) January 30, 2020

Listed at 6 feet, 201 pounds, McKinney excels in the full gamut of coverages, whether it be zone or man. He is the type of safety who can align in the slot to match tight ends, align deep to protect the deep middle, or align in the box to squeeze short-to-intermediate routes in the middle of the field. McKinney does need to add more bulk as to prevent larger tight ends and receivers from boxing him out at the catch point, but his actual technique, route recognition and movement skills are excellent.

McKinney also adds value as a blitzer and in run support. He’s not a hammer, but he’s a reliable tackler who is effective both in space and in tight quarters.

He would be the ideal safety to pair with Xavier Woods for the next half-decade. His versatility would provide defensive coordinator Mike Nolan a ton of flexibility with alignments and coverages, as both Woods and McKinney are extremely versatile.

While he wouldn’t be the flashiest pick in the first round, the Cowboys could certainly do much worse. McKinney’s presence would assuredly be a boon to the defense for the considerable future.

Terrell Burgess, S, Utah

Considering the Cowboys signed Clinton-Dix in free agency, there’s reason to believe they value interchangeability with their safeties. This is why Utah’s Terrell Burgess should warrant consideration on Day 2 of the draft.

Listed at 5-11, 202 pounds, Burgess is undersized but more than makes up for that with his coverage ability. He displays an impressive skill set as a deep safety, and much like Clinton-Dix, Burgess tends to do his best work deep as a split safety in two-high coverages.

He's REALLY hard to shake in man coverage. Idk how this was his first year starting. Smooth feet and crazy closing burst to defend catch point. pic.twitter.com/6rPiCYvjfa — Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) March 9, 2020

He’s also impressive aligning in the slot, matching receivers and tight ends alike in man coverage, showing the ability to succeed in press and off coverage. Burgess’ rapid-fire feet allow him to beautifully mirror releases and blanket receivers at the top of the route.

In terms of defending the run, he is much more effective as a run-and-fill defender from space because his lack of size can cause him to be overwhelmed by blocks in the box. He’s not the most physical tackler, but he’s not averse to contact.

Ultimately, Burgess appears to be a younger and more dynamic version of Clinton-Dix. If drafted, he could play in a reserve role while contributing on special teams as he fills out his frame before stepping into a starting role in Year 2 after Clinton-Dix’s contract expires.

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