Dallas Cowboys: Grading Jerry Jones’ 2021 draft class
The number one priority for the Dallas Cowboys was improving their defensive backs. With their compensatory pick, they decided to draft Oregon State’s, Nahshon Wright.
Athletically, you can find a much better option. Wright has a 2.47 RAS score despite being inflated with his six-foot-four-inch frame. His 4.49-second 40-yard dash and ten-foot-six-inch broad jump are solid, but everything else ranks around the bottom among corners, including his splits.
Wright only played two seasons at Oregon State after playing his freshman season with Laney College. He racked up 64 tackles, five interceptions, and six batted passes in 16 games with Oregon. He had better stats with fewer games in 2020 compared to 2019, suggesting a significant improvement.
Dan Quinn loves to run a cover three defense, which favors big corners like Nahshon Wright. He can carve out some playing time as a rotation piece in zone coverage but can’t do much more than that. Special teams will allow him to play more snaps.
While he fits what Quinn is looking for, his projection was to be a seventh-rounder. It was a far reach for any player, especially one that won’t have an immediate impact. Jerry Jones could have waited until the fifth or sixth round, and even that would be a reach.