Morris Claiborne
The Cowboys made a bold and logical move by giving up a second round draft choice to move up into the 6th overall position to draft corner Morris Claiborne. Claiborne was the consensus top cover corner and playmaker in the 2012 draft. The Cowboys’ secondary in 2011 gave up the most passing yards in team history. Jerry Jones also signed unrestricted free agent Brandon Carr who played well for Kansas City. Brodney Pool was also signed to play strong safety because of his knowledge of Rob Ryan’s defensive scheme. Tyrone Crawford is an ascending defensive end who plays hard and will be an anchor five technique. Another talented pass rusher is fourth round pick Kyle Wilber who also has coverage skills. Morris Claiborne did not participate in rookie mini-camp or OTAs due to surgery on his broken wrist. He promises to be ready for training camp in late July. He has excellent ball skills to go along with his good speed. Very athletic, he is a hitter who is sudden and fast in his play. In the past two years he picked off a total of 11 passes. Tyrone Crawford may be the sleeper of the Cowboys’ draft. A starter for only one year, he was a junior college transfer from Canada. He has an explosive first step and has the length and the strength at left end to work into the front rotation. He doesn’t stay blocked and can hold the point of attack. He possesses the innate strength to two-gap. Kyle Wilber may start out as a sub package pass rusher and special teams’ player. In the East/West game and practices he was virtually unblockable. He had 13.5 sacks in his college career. As a senior he was active with 70 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Instinctive and aware in his play, he uses his hands well, plays with good leverage, and can set the edge of the defense. Matt Johnson is buried on the depth chart. To make the team he will have to stand out on special teams. He has 17 career interceptions and is not afraid to come downhill to support the run. He has good range as a safety. Danny Coale broke his foot the first day of OTAs and is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Coale is projected to compete for Laurent Robinson’s position. He is an above average route runner with good hands. A four year starter, he is heady enough to read coverages on the run. A natural catcher with good ball skills, he can beat one-on-one coverage at times. James Hanna is a speedy and athletic tight end who can split cover-2 down the middle or run away from man-to-man linebackers. His running ability is straight away power. He can line up in the seam and pluck the ball in his hands. He has the leaping ability to go up and get the ball. After the Combine workouts, he was our top rated athletic tight end. He should fit into the third tight end role. Caleb McSurdy is an inside linebacker that some teams projected as a fullback. Active in his play, he plays square to the line of scrimmage. A twodown run player, he will compete on special teams and back up Sean Lee. GRADE: AVERAGE.
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