Why the Dallas Cowboys are safe with Kavon Frazier

The Dallas Cowboys don’t need a safety in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft: Kavon Frazier is the reason why this is true.

The offseason for the Dallas Cowboys is heating up. With the 2018 NFL Draft still more than two months away, player evaluations and mock drafts will only get more and more omnipresent from this point forward. With the NFL Scouting Combine less than two weeks away, expect to see and hear a cascade of draft projections coming out of the ‘Underwear Olympics’ in Indianapolis.

If you’ve read very much of my work, you’re probably aware that I really despise drafting back-end football players in the first round of the annual player selection meeting. There can be exceptions, of course, but the Dallas Cowboys don’t strike me as a team that should be focusing on cornerbacks and safeties with the 19th-overall selection come Thursday, April 26.

Now, I could make a case for Dallas selecting a cornerback in the first round if the right value was there – taking a corner at No. 19 isn’t nearly as dumb as trading up to select a player like Morris Claiborne at No. 6.

I already see mock drafts that project the Dallas Cowboys to select Derwin James at the 19th pick, which I can understand. James is a unique player with a freakish physique that will remind many of Seattle Seahawks enforcer Kam Chancellor – but James is leaner and faster. Assuming that James would be a strong safety, which I’m not sure is true, Kavon Frazier already fits what the Dallas Cowboys need at this position.

I’ve seen enough from Frazier on special teams to conclude that he’s more than capable of both coverage and run support in a starting role at strong safety. This is especially true if the Dallas Cowboys do what they should do and immediately go after better skills and depth at defensive tackle.

It matters not if David Irving is retained or what another moves Dallas might make in free agency for the defensive line. This team needs more pressure upfront to compliment both Irving and DeMarcus Lawrence, assuming that the latter is also wearing a blue star on his helmet in 2018.

Frazier reminds me of a heat-seeking missile on special teams when pursuing opposing return men. The video below offers a good look at what perhaps some have forgotten where this two-year veteran out of Central Michigan is concerned. Standing 6’0” and weighing 220 pounds, he really fits the mold of that ‘in-the-box’ defender who can also cover in certain situations.

Let’s also remember that Xavier Woods and Jeff Heath are also in the mix and safety – and maybe even Byron Jones, who’s likely to move to cornerback, and Chidobe Awuzie, who might be flipping to safety.

Yes, there’s both bodies and capabilities at safety for the Dallas Cowboys. This is not ot say that James or even Minkah Fitzpatrick wouldn’t offer an eventual upgrade at safety for the Dallas Cowboys, but upgrading a horse trailer without having a pickup truck to pull it doesn’t make sense at all.

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Give me just about any other position besides safety in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and I’ll sleep much easier that night.