Cordrea Tankersley and Dallas Cowboys are perfect draft match
The Dallas Cowboys will undoubtedly be in the market for secondary help in the 2017 NFL Draft, and Clemson’s Cordrea Tankersley could be a perfect fit…
The Dallas Cowboys are in need of defensive backs, and Clemson cornerback Cordrea Tankersley could (and should) be high on their list…
#Clemson CB Cordrea Tankersley had a private workout with the #Cowboys this week. Also taking a top 30 visit there on Monday. 🤔🤔🤔
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 31, 2017
The Cowboys lost almost the entirety of their secondary in free agency in March. Starting cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr have moved on, as have safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox.
Dallas is going to need to rebuild the secondary through the draft primarily, as they simply do not have the cap space to fill needs through free agency, at least not with big time talent. That’s where Cordrea Tankersley comes into play for Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office, a player that has excellent size, speed, and ball skills.
Dallas is more than doing due diligence with Tankersley. It appears as though they are about to make a serious run at drafting him in the first round. Tankersley had nine interceptions over the past two seasons for Clemson, and had a fantastic senior year, helping the Tigers win the National Championship.
His 52 tackles, six tackles for loss, 11 pass breakups, and four interceptions this past season resulted in a first-team All-ACC selection for Tankersley, and his performance at the Scouting Combine could earn him first round draft status.
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He ran a 4.40 second 40-yard dash at 6-1, 199 pounds and certainly looks the part of a first round cornerback in the NFL.
With Tankersley, the Cowboys could begin the rebuilding process of their secondary. It will take some time, and may even require four draft picks in this year’s class alone, but they will have the ability to address their greatest weakness with one of the deepest class of defensive backs we have scouted in quite some time.
Tankersley has areas where he is definitely raw, however. His lack of refined coverage technique cost him in the form of eight pass interference penalties over the last two seasons. The athleticism and ball skills are certainly there, as is the willingness to tackle, but there are reasons he isn’t a top 10 prospect at corner just yet.
The ceiling with Tankersley is very high, and with two years of high production at Clemson, I think Jerry Jones will love this kid and he could be a perfect fit for Dallas.