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This is the time of the NFL year where fans of the Dallas Cowboys try to read the tea leaves otherwise known as the 30 official pre-draft visits to the Star. The main focus for many is on the first-round talents that come in, but the team also talks to many players that could be available on days two and three of the draft. Recently, four safeties have cropped up among the invites, all projected as day two or three possibilities. That checks with comments from Bryan Broaddus of the mothership about the team being willing to look for another safety later in the draft.
Tarvarius Moore, Southern Mississippi
Moore is one of the safeties that are now reported to be visiting - and this just popped up about him.
I can't believe I just got to USM safety Tarvarius Moore. His testing numbers were insane at 4.32, with 38.5 VJ and 11'1" BJ, but the tape matched the testing. Excellent cover skills too. Easy second day selection and one of the most under-the-radar safeties in the class.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 4, 2018
He is evaluated as working very well in space with good ball skills. He is seen as anything from a third- to fifth-round talent, but if the Cowboys like him, he may be in the upper part of that range for them. And draft guru Dane Brugler just announced on the Draft Show at DallasCowboys.com that he was mocking Moore to Dallas at 81. (It is at the 57:15 mark if you want to look for it.)
Kyzir White, West Virginia
Moore was under the radar, coming from a small school. But White, while starting his career at a junior college, began receiving notice after he transferred to WVU. He is big (6-2 and 218 lbs) and expected to put on some more weight. His future role is seen as a hybrid-type player who can function as a safety and a linebacker. That just adds to his value as that role is growing in importance in the NFL. He is seen as especially good covering tight ends. And he is a heavy hitter in run support. White is seen as a third- or fourth-round talent on many boards.
Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
Edmunds is another safety that is strong against tight ends. He was a cornerback earlier in his career, which should benefit his coverage skills. He’s seen as faster and with better change of direction skills than White. Another box he checks is leadership. He is getting projected as a pretty solid third-round talent.
Tracy Walker, UL-Lafayette
While the first three are solid mid-round prospects, small-school product Walker (who was tagged as “Trey” at the NFL combine, which he sometimes goes by in his family) is seen as a seventh-round or UDFA prospect. He is more of a project and another who will likely need to add some muscle to succeed in the NFL, but he did accumulate eight interceptions in college and is another solid hitter in the open field.
This list seems to confirm where the Cowboys are looking for safeties in the draft. And they also brought in three other safeties for Dallas Day, most notably DeShon Elliott of Texas, who looks to be a fourth- or fifth-round possibility. The other two were Nick Orr of TCU (possible seventh-rounder or UDFA) and Elliott’s teammate Jason Hall (UDFA candidate).
The strategy seems to be waiting until after the second round to add a name or two off this list, but Dallas has players they can take in a variety of places. And with ten selections currently, they have the draft capital to sit and wait for one, or trade up if they need to go after someone they like. Don’t be surprised if one or more of these players show up in Oxnard.