Dallas Cowboys nab top defensive player in new mock draft
By Connor Green
Round 3, pick 75: Ar’Darius Washington, S – TCU
The Dallas Cowboys secondary was awful last season. Those struggles obviously extended to the safety position, a position the team has ignored for quite some time. This leads the team to select safety Ar’Darius Washington with the 75th overall pick.
Even with the signings of safeties Damontae Kazee and Jayron Kearse, the safety position remains a need for America’s Team (especially considering Kazee’s injury history). The team needs to figure out a long-term solution for the position and they hope Washington can be that solution.
The 21-year old managed to establish himself as one of the best safeties in college football over the past two seasons. Over the past two years, he has managed to accrue 83 total tackles, six pass deflections, and an impressive five interceptions (all of which came in 2019). In 2019 he had the seventh-most interceptions in the NCAA.
The TCU product had a mixed Pro Day in which he ran an unimpressive 4.61 40-yard dash, but also managed to post a solid 37.5-inch vertical leap. Despite his lack of elite size and speed (Washington is five-foot-eight), he is generally regarded as one of the top safeties in this draft class due to his playmaking ability and top-notch football IQ.
The Dallas Cowboys nab a player who has demonstrated a proven ability to make plays on the football field. The fact that Washington can be slotted in as either a safety or nickel corner only adds to his value with this pick.