Did the late season surge save the Dallas Cowboys from themselves?

The Dallas Cowboys hold the rights to the tenth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft which could quite possibly allow them to fix their defense.

During the middle of the season, the Dallas Cowboys were in contention to have a top-five pick when suddenly the defense started to play at an average rate allowing the team to win a few games that not many thought they would have won.

If the Dallas Cowboys had indeed ended up with a top-five draft selection, the draft pick no matter who selected, would have once again provided a topic of contention. My reasoning on that has to do with how ball-dominant the draft has shaped up to be.

I like many have started to deep dive into the incoming draft prospects but the top of my board is dominated by players on the offensive side of the ball. I have two quarterbacks in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and BYU’s Zach Wilson, who by the way is my favorite quarterback in this draft,  are basic locks to be selected in the top ten.

For those teams in need of a franchise left tackle, I present to you two left tackles that are top ten worthy in Oregon’s Penei Sewell and Northwestern’s Rashawn Slater. Sewell reminds me of a more athletic Larry Allen which should tell you how high I think of this young man.

So if your still with me that is four offensive players before I get to this loaded wide receiver class. This year’s wide receiver class might be better than last year’s group which provided instant offense for almost everyone that selected one in the first couple rounds.

Alabama’s DeVonta Smith leads the field with LSU’s Jamar Chase and not too far behind. Alabama’s injured wideout Jaylen Waddle could sneak in the top ten if he shows he is fully recovered during the National Championship game.

Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave is another big name wideout that could skyrocket through the NFL draft process so do not leave him out of the conversation either. Every year there seems to be a player selected in the top ten that nobody thought was possible. Olave could jump another wide receiver as preference supersedes popular opinion when talking about NFL executives.

I am also taking into account the fact that Jamar Chase opted out of the college football season and could deter some teams from taking him earlier. This is an opening that Olave can take advantage of if he tests well at the NFL combine. There is a drop off in left tackles after the first two so I don’t envision another tackle jumping my top two prospects.

That takes us to seven prospects that could go in the top ten but we have only checked off three positions. If you ask me, those three positions are not a dire need for the Cowboys. I haven’t even mentioned Florida’s uber-talented tight end Kyle Pitts who is a mismatch nightmare or Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields.

Just for the record, I am not high on Justin Fields but there will be a quarterback-needy team that talks themselves into taking him. Teams get in trouble by selecting for need instead of the best player and I truly believe Field’s will be the poster child for that movement.

A top-heavy offensive draft feels like the Cowboys caught a break in their quest to fix their defense.

So what does the Cowboys picking tenth have to do with saving themselves?

The Cowboys can now pick the best available player at ten which might just be a defensive player uniting the Cowboys fan base much like last year’s first-round selection in CeeDee Lamb. I jumped for joy when they selected Lamb as the best player mantra had finally reached its peak.

Even if they have a wide receiver or tackle ahead of let’s say a cornerback, the team can now draft their preferred corner of choice without having the critics kill them for passing on a slightly higher graded player like they would had they gotten a top-five pick.

I love when teams keep the strength of their team strong by preparing for a key loss with a young player but the Dallas Cowboys defense needs much-needed youth and talent that this is the one year the best defensive player available in the first two rounds is necessary.

I know I have said in the past that this is how teams get into trouble by drafting for need but Alabama cornerback or Virginia Techs corner Caleb Farley are really good consolation prizes. Especially when you consider this defense gave up more than 3,600 pass yards this season.

That stat looks even worse when you consider the Cowboys were one of two teams this season to give up over 2,500 rushing yards. With no defensive tackle looking to be worthy of a top-ten selection, taking a cornerback makes a tremendous amount of sense. I for one am hoping this team takes Patrick Surtain II at ten.

For those who would like a traditional inside off-the-ball linebacker, Micah Parsons would also be a solid choice for the Cowboys at ten but I would refrain from taking anyone at this position until the later rounds. I say this within asterisk as the Dallas Cowboys have decisions to make with their current linebacker core.

Either way, It looks like my team-tank philosophy didn’t take as big of a hit as I thought it would during the season. I just hope that whoever the team takes can have a positive impact on this team moving forward.