The Dallas Cowboys are expected to be in the cornerback market this offseason for a variety of reasons.
Trevon Diggs, an All-Pro selection in 2021, suffered a significant knee injury at the end of the 2024 season is expected to miss several games of the upcoming season. Jourdan Lewis is set to become an unrestricted free agent and Dallas has several other cornerbacks rehabbing from season-ending injuries, including Caelen Carson and Josh Butler.
The only "sure thing" in the cornerback room is Daron Bland, who is set to become a free agent after the 2025 season. It's not unreasonable to assume the Cowboys could draft a cornerback with one of their top picks, should the right player be available. However, one prominent option in Round 1 might not fit their prototype.
Michigan cornerback Will Johnson might be off the Cowboys' draft radar
Will Johnson is widely viewed to be the No. 1 cornerback in the 2025 NFL Draft with a current consensus board ranking of No. 8, per NFL Mock Draft Database. Johnson recorded nine interceptions at Michigan and has the elite ball skills that NFL coaches will covet. But what he doesn't have is length. According to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, Johnson measured in with just 30 1/8" arms. That puts him in just the 10th percentile among all cornerbacks at the NFL Combine since 1999 per MockDraftable.
While that won't scare off every team, there are a few organizations out there that will cross Johnson off their list of targets in Round 1. And the Dallas Cowboys might be that team. Since Will McClay has taken over in the front office, the Cowboys have been an organization that has prioritized length at the cornerback position. They have not drafted a cornerback with sub-30.5-inch arms since 2017, and their average arm length of cornerback acquisition is over 32 inches.
I need to update this, but the #Cowboys are usually looking for CBs with 32" arms or longer. pic.twitter.com/ZPeuwHT3a7
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 28, 2025
Dallas has long preferred the cornerbacks with elite length, and it's hard to blame them with their track record. Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Byron Jones, Anthony Brown, Daron Bland, and Trevon Diggs have all become good starters in the NFL with Bland and Diggs both becoming All-Pro selections. They believe the added arm length and wingspan can be the difference in knocking away passes or creating turnovers with the NFL margins being so small.
It's also worth noting that Johnson will not participate in any of the drills at the NFL Combine. There were some concerns about his long speed entering the week and those will continue after passing on the combine testing. The lack of any testing numbers combined with the shorter arms might be too big of a gamble for them to consider early in the draft.
Johnson is still a terrific prospect and shouldn't fall outside of the top 15 of the NFL Draft. But given how strict the Cowboys' front office is regarding arm length at cornerback, it's safe to assume that he won't be high on their board when they are on the clock at pick No. 12. Expect them to target cornerbacks later in the draft with more length and athleticism.