Dallas Cowboys: 2019 fifth rounder could end up being a steal

The Dallas Cowboys selected a cornerback with the 158th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at his path to becoming a pro.

In the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected cornerback Michael Jackson out of the University of Miami (Fla.) with the 158th overall pick. Standing at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Jackson has the size to cover receivers of all sizes in the NFL. He will look to learn the defensive scheme under Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard.

Michael grew up in Spain Park, Alabama and played football at Spain Park High School. He was graded by 247Sports as a 3-star recruit and had offers from Nebraska, Georgia, Miami, LSU, and Minnesota. Jackson ultimately committed to the University of Miami in October of 2014 as he wanted to branch out and get away from the state of Alabama.

Jackson had a slow start to his college career, playing in just four games his freshman year and seven games his sophomore year. In these first two seasons, he spent the majority of his time as a backup and played quite a bit of special teams.

He would then have a breakout junior season, appearing in all 13 of the Miami’s games, racking up 43 tackles and four interceptions. This incredible season in 2017 would earn him a Second-team All-ACC award. After a somewhat underwhelming senior season with zero interceptions, Jackson was still considered one of the top cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft. Although he had no interceptions, he still had 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and six pass breakups for the Hurricanes in his final year of college.

Although the Dallas Cowboys already have four established cornerbacks in Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown, this pick is building for the future. Both Byron Jones and Anthony Brown are in the final year of their contract and will be looking for a payday after the 2019 season. Jackson will be a safety net in the case that these two are not re-signed.

In his rookie season, Jackson will look to learn from the players ahead of him and get experience on special teams and as a backup, just like in college. The linear growth as a player from his freshman to senior year in college is promising, as it shows he can improve as a player once he gets comfortable and learns the scheme. With his size and frame, Jackson could also be converted to safety early in his career if needed.

Overall, the biggest knock on Michael Jackson coming into the draft was his lack of cover traits and ball skills, which ultimately was the reason he fell to the fifth round to the Dallas Cowboys. After some time being an understudy and learning from both players and coaches, Jackson could end up looking like a steal for the Cowboys down the road.