With the tenth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cowboys select …

1 – Patrick Surtain II

With so many elite offensive players available I still think that the stars are going to align and the Dallas Cowboys are going to select the best defensive player in this draft who also happens to play the biggest position of need for the Dallas Cowboys.

Alabama cornerback Partick Surtain II has all the tools you would want in a cornerback minus the splash plays that are elevating other prospects with bigger flaws.

Some experts will also say that the lack of splash plays has to do with quarterbacks unwilling to test the pro-ready prospect. Surtain the II is the son of former Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain and I project that to be his floor.

I could also see him wear number 23 in Dallas (sorry Darian Thompson) just like his father wore in the league but I would imagine number 24 is penciled in at the moment.

Pairing Surtain with current Dallas Cowboys and former Alabama teammate Trevon Diggs has a certain symmetry that more than a few fans find appealing. I really would love to see Kyle Pitts in a Dallas uniform ( Pitts grew up in Philadelphia and most of his family are Eagles fans) but he will probably gone.

I wouldn’t place Surtain in the consolation prize category as he is a great prospect in his own right. Surtain has similar measurables to Horn so it is not like Surtain is falling for any particular reason. When prospects are out there for so long and there aren’t many flaws to find, fanbases start to nitpick their guys.

Surtain will no doubt have some growing pains in Dallas but that would almost be certain for all of the other rookies on this list. A veteran cornerback added right before or after the draft could go a long way in helping a rookie manage such a demanding position. So without further hesitation.

With the 10th pick in the first round, the Dallas Cowboys select, Patrick Surtain II, cornerback from the University of Alabama.