Dallas Cowboys: Could Josh Jones be the pick at #28?

The Dallas Cowboys enter the 2017 NFL Draft in need of a safety, thanks to the departure of Barry Church. Could Josh Jones be their guy at #28?

When to pull the trigger on your draft target? The age old question of the NFL Draft.  With the Dallas Cowboys lacking a true strong safety, there is reason to believe he may be a target of theirs. And they may have to use a very premium pick to get him.

According to CBS Sports, North Carolina State University strong safety Josh Jones is the 61st ranked prospect in this years draft. CBS draft expert Dane Brugler has him ranked 52nd. Both have a 2nd round grade on him.

However, Jones most likely won’t fall to the Cowboys in the second round. So, as The Landry Hat’s resident Wolfpack fan, let me make the case for the young safety as Dallas’ pick at number 28.

First off, Jones is physically a dream for a safety. He has ideal height (6’1) and weight (220) for the position, as well as off the charts testing numbers. His 4.41 40-time makes him faster than Seahawks All-Pro safety Earl Thomas.

His 37.5″ vertical leap is higher than Giants All-Pro safety Landon Collins. And his 20 bench reps, well that ties him for best in this safety class. Basically, the kid is athletic.

Now, what really warrants Jones cracking the first round is his tape. Josh is a tackler. That is not meant to be taking lightly. This kid will hit, and hard. He does an excellent job of wrapping up and finishing tackles. Very rare to see him miss unless he takes a bad angle.

Jones also has excellent ball skills.  He very often will jump a route or make an acrobatic catch in deep coverage. He does a good job of high pointing the football and taking it away from the receiver.

Jones also has the ability to play both safety spots. Pairing him with free safety Byron Jones will allow the Cowboys to cleverly disguise coverages, as both players perform well in coverage and in the box.

At the end of the day, Josh Jones is a player that will immediately start and wrack up tackles near the line of the scrimmage. His ceiling is high, and he has the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl caliber player given experience.

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If there are no pass rushers or corners jumping off the board at 28, Jerry, Stephen, Jason and Will should feel very comfortable pulling the trigger on #11 from the Wolfpack.