2020 NFL Draft: 5 players Cowboys could take in Round 1

1. Xavier McKinney, Alabama safety

The Cowboys prefer to play mirrored safeties when possible. That lessens their need to employ dynamic players at either spot. Instead, they need steady safeties who can read the game and prevent big plays.

That’s a perfect fit for the way McKinney will play the position at the next level. He showed an exceptional ability to read the action in front of him during his time at Alabama. He’s not a world-class athlete, but he gets to the right spot the majority of the time.

That’s an important skill for the coaches in Dallas. Deploying McKinney opposite Xavier Woods would give the Cowboys a pair of rock-solid safeties to rely on. It might take a few weeks for McKinney to overtake Clinton-Dix in the starting lineup, but it would happen in plenty of time for the team’s potential playoff push.

McKinney isn’t a player the Cowboys should move up to draft, but he’s a very solid choice if he falls to them at No. 16. Grabbing an above-average starter at that point in the draft is excellent value. McKinney doesn’t have a high ceiling, but his high floor makes him a solid pick for Dallas in Round 1.

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