Cowboys 2021 draft: 5 impact players beyond the first round

The Dallas Cowboys should use their first-round pick on a cornerback. If they miss out on one in the first round, they have some options to pick from later in the draft.

There may also be a chance the Cowboys want to add a corner later in the draft regardless if they grab one in the first round. One of the players they can draft is Paulson Adebo.

Like many other big-name college players, Adebo opted out of the 2020 season. That forced teams to look at his impressive 2018 season and decent 2019 season.

In 13 games, the Stanford product racked up 64 tackles, 17 passes defended, and four interceptions. That includes knocking down four passes from 2020 first-round pick Justin Herbert.

The following season saw a drop in production, but it was still a productive year. In nine games, the then-sophomore made 33 tackles, batted ten passes, and intercepted four of them. Throughout the season, Adebo was suffering nagging injuries.

He was an All-Pac-12 in both seasons. Those nominations paired with his monster freshman season made him a highly sought-after corner.-*9/8

Adebo was the number two corner heading into the 2020 draft. The one corner ranked ahead of him was the third overall pick, Jeff Okudah.

It appears that the Cardinal sitting out the season hurt his draft stock. The Cowboys should take advantage of that. I expect him to catch eyes at the NFL Combine and elevate his value.

The underrated corner will likely survive the first round. He is a mid-second to early third-round prospect. That means the Cowboys will have the opportunity to draft him with the 44th or maybe the 75th overall pick.

After one year away from football, any nagging injuries from his 2019 season have healed. I’m hoping Jerry Jones keeps that in mind. Adebo has the potential to be a draft steal.

I hope everyone realizes that the first round is not the be all end all. Elite talent is not only found in the first round.

The Dallas Cowboys need to find gems later in the draft. That is the only way they will compete for a Super Bowl over the next couple of years. It is the cheapest way to find top-end talent. The way their salary cap will be, they need to find talent in the draft.