Should the Cowboys trade up to draft safety Trevon Moehrig?

The Dallas Cowboys secondary was pitiful in 2020. The unit was one of seven in the league last year to allow opposing passers to have a passer rating above 100. They also only finished the year tied for the fifth-fewest interceptions in the NFL with ten.

Needless to say, the organization is in dire need of help in their secondary. That struggle obviously extends to the safety position. The need for help at that particular position is exacerbated by the fact that one of the teams’ starting safeties, Xavier Woods, will be a free agent this offseason.

Practically speaking this means that Dallas must find a way to address this position of need either through free agency or through the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, this years’ safety class is a relatively weak one and there are no prospects at the position worth taking with the teams’ tenth overall pick.

That being said it should be noted that it was recently announced that the Cowboys would receive a league-high four compensatory draft picks. Those picks include the 99th and 138th overall picks in the 2021 draft. The team could theoretically use those additional picks, along with their second-round pick, to trade up too late in the first round to try and target the top-graded safety in this years’ draft class, TCU’s Trevon Moehrig.

Clearly, the organization would love it if the TCU product fell to them in the second round. However, most mock drafts have him as a mid to late first-round pick. This means that if Dallas really wants to add Moehrig to their team they will likely be forced to trade up to get him.

The fact that it was recently reported by long-time Cowboys reporter Jane Slater that Moehrig was among the potential draft targets of the team in this years’ upcoming draft only adds more intensity to the question. Should the Dallas Cowboys use their extra draft capital to make sure they can get Moehrig?

The 21-year old defender played three seasons for the Horned Frogs in which he accrued seven interceptions and was awarded the prestigious Jim Thorpe award in 2020. In his best statistical year for TCU, he posted an impressive four interceptions, eleven pass deflections, and 62 total tackles. The young 6-foot-2, 202-pound defender also fits the prototypical model of an NFL safety.

Considering the fact that America’s Team has not used a first-round pick on the position since it selected Roy Williams back in 2002 it would be an unusual move for Dallas to make. However, with limited resources to spend on free agents this offseason and extra draft capital to spare it might be wise for the organization to at least consider the move.

The next highest-graded safety on the board, at least by most analysts, is actually Moehrig’s teammate at TCU Ar’Darius Washington. Washington is a solid prospect, but the fact that he is only 5-foot-8 is concerning. That would make Washington one of the smaller prospects at the position and could lead him to fall in the draft.

The Dallas Cowboys will have to decide how aggressively they want to use the draft to address their need at the safety position. The fact that the team has extra draft capital and limited resources to spend this offseason should only increase their urgency in the draft.

Drafting Trevon Moehrig to play alongside the teams’ promising young safety Donovan Wilson might give America’s Team its best combination at the position in a long-time and that might be worth a couple of draft picks to secure.