DALLAS —
The Dallas Cowboys went with the best player available with the selection of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb at No. 17 overall in the first round on Thursday night. The selection of a player for the offense in Round 1 caught many by surprise as Lamb didn’t address the team’s biggest need on defense. Nevertheless, a replacement for the departing Randall Cobb was a need and Lamb was a prospect rated too high to pass up.
Day two of the 2020 NFL Draft figured to be about the defense for Dallas.
The Cowboys had to wait until the 51st overall pick to sweat it out and see who would be available to enhance incoming defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s defense. While the Cowboys could use more help along the defense line, it was the secondary that Dallas opted to focus on with their second round selection.
With their first pick of the day, former Alabama Crimson Tide cornerback Trevon Diggs fell to the Cowboys with the 19th pick of the second round. Diggs is a player many felt could find his way into the latter part of the first round, and indeed there was a possibility that Dallas could have picked Diggs with their No. 17 pick in the first round if Lamb hadn’t been available.
Diggs comes in as the potential day one replacement for Byron Jones who left for the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Diggs is a converted wide receiver so he provides ball skills in addition notable outside coverage competence after being molded in the blast furnace that is the SEC during his tenure at Alabama. Indeed, Diggs ended his college career as a first team All-SEC defender.
Though he eventually became a Pro Bowl performer, one of the knocks on Jones’ game during his time in Dallas was the fact that he didn’t create turnovers on the back end. Diggs is similar in stature as a tall and long corner, but he can couple physical play with attacking the ball in the air much like a receiver.
Most importantly, Cowboys took a step in the right direction in fixing their defense. Anthony Brown is currently the only cornerback among the starters that is under contract beyond 2020. Diggs – the brother of Buffalo Bills receiver Stefon Diggs – will likely come in and compete for a starting slot right away.
Diggs gives the Cowboys a potential starter on the outside at a premium position and now they can focus on safety or an edge defender along the defensive line with their third-rounder at pick No. 82.
Do you think things have panned out well for the Cowboys with an elite receiver in the first round and a cornerback in Round 2? Share your thoughts with Patrick on Twitter @PatSportsGuy.
More on WFAA:
- Cowboys take Alabama corner Trevon Diggs with second round pick
- MUST SEE: Stefon Diggs' letter to his brother Trevon, the newest Cowboys draft pick
- Pitch and catch: Round 2 of NFL draft starts with wide receivers
- Dallas Cowboys offense has horsepower to spare
- Best NFL Draft prospects still on the board for the Dallas Cowboys on day two
