Dallas Cowboys full 7-round mock for the 2021 NFL Draft

Round 2, Pick 44: Richie Grant, S – UCF

The previous slide detailed the reason why the Dallas Cowboys are in dire need of help in the secondary. That need obviously extends to the safety position and, at the time of this writing (Please Dallas sign Keanu Neal), the team has inexplicably not addressed this need.

Given the dearth of talent at the safety position in the 2021 draft class it would be hard to argue that the team should take one with its top pick in the draft. In fact, the only safety consistently mocked in as a first-round selection is TCU’s Trevon Moehrig.

However, there are a handful of other players at the position who would be worthy of the Cowboys’ attention in the second-round. One of those players is UCF safety Richie Grant and with Moehrig already off the board, Dallas decides to use its 44th overall pick on him.

The 24-year old is a bit older than most draft prospects but is one of the most promising players at the position in this years’ draft. Grant played four seasons for the Knights and managed to accrue an impressive ten interceptions during his collegiate career (all of those came in his last three seasons).

The young defender played nine games last season and managed to get 72 total tackles, three interceptions, and five pass deflections. However, his most impressive (statistical) year came back when he was a sophomore in 2018. The UCF product led the American conference in interceptions that year with six while also getting an impressive 108 total tackles.

The case for Grant here is relatively simple. The Cowboys defense needs a playmaker and Grant showed playmaking abilities throughout his career at UCF. The team would also address one of its biggest needs early on and the young defender would likely become an instant starter for the organization.