Dallas Cowboys 2018 full mock draft
By Joe Romano
Round 2 – Pick 50
Jessie Bates, S, Wake Forest
The Cowboys brought in Kris Richards, formerly of the Seahawks, to run their secondary. They have young pieces in place with Jourdan Lewis, Chidobe Awuzie, and Anthony Brown at corner. Byron Jones, a former first round pick, will also likely move to corner, solidifying the depth chart there. Jones departure from his safety position does leave a hole on the back end. Xavier Woods, Kavon Frazier and Jeff Heath will compete for time but a draft pick should be spent on the position.
After missing out on studs Derwin James and Minkah Fitzpatrick, there are few impactful safeties left in the draft. An under-the-radar name that fits is Jessie Bates of Wake Forest. He is one of the many 2018 draft class members that was better in 2016 than 2017. The 6-foot-1 safety impressed at the combine with exceptional agility and is a riser in the draft process.
As a safety, Bates possess the coverage skills that accompany some of the game’s best. While he is not the best tackler, he has no problem throwing his hat in the ring. His 4.5 40 will raise concerns but safeties do not need to be speed burners in most schemes. Weighing in at 200 pounds was big for Bates. There are concerns with his frame, which will need work at the next level. His aggressive play style and elite change of direction will help him impact games early on. Richards could try to mold him into Dallas’ version of Earl Thomas.