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Patrick Surtain Sr. sees son as ‘perfect fit’ with Dallas Cowboys - Sam Marsdale, 247 Sports
Surtain Sr. thinks Surtain II is a good fit for Dallas.
In an appearance on ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin Friday morning, Surtain’s father, Patrick Surtain Sr., a former NFL defensive back from 1998-2008, was asked about the Cowboys connection. He endorsed it in a big way, calling it the “perfect fit.” He sounded excited about the fact that former Atlanta Falcons head coach and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is now running the show on that side of the ball.
“It’s the Seattle old defense,” Surtain said. “I know the defensive coordinator, who was in Seattle when they had the Legion of Boom. So I think it’s a lot of misconceptions with that defense, about being a man-in-the-zone structure defense. I think, for the most part, when I watch, I saw Richard Sherman and those guys play man on the outside. Obviously, it’s changeup to play the Cover 3 with them bailing and everything. But with their physicality, with him and Diggs’ physicality, I can see some similarities between Sherman and those guys on the outside. But I saw them play a lot of press, press man and the offset was some Cover 3. So I think he can do it all, man. That’s why I think he’s highly coveted, because he’s an all-around corner. He can play man. He comes up and can tackle. He can play in the slot if need be. So I think he’ll be a perfect fit.”
Surtain played exceptionally in 2020 and helped Alabama to a national championship. He finished his college career (three seasons and 40 games) with 116 total tackles, 82 solo tackles, six tackles for loss, four interceptions, one touchdown, 24 pass deflections, one fumble recovery and four forced fumbles.
Film room: Buy or sell these Cowboys scenarios from NFL draft experts, including a defensive end at No. 10 - John Owning, DMN
People have tried to give the Cowboys Kwity Paye at #10 in mocks, but that’s not very realistic.
At a time when mock drafts tend to blend together with similar predictions, Daniel Jeremiah has a unique pick for No. 10 overall with the Cowboys selecting Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye.
The reason I’m selling this idea is not because the Cowboys picked a defensive end — I think finding someone to pair with DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory would be worthwhile — but because Paye simply doesn’t have a skill set commensurate with a top-10 selection.
Paye lacks the skill and production to warrant such a selection. He often mutes his own athleticism when rushing the passer by rushing to contact too often, which — when combined with raw hand technique — makes life way easier than it should be for blockers. In addition, his footwork often lacks purpose and leads to inefficient movements when rushing the passer.
When a team is making a top-10 selection, it’s important to select a player who checks all the boxes. While Paye easily checks off size and athleticism, he’s simply too raw to check the skill box. These are the primary reasons I actually believe Paye is a second-round talent propped up by physical and athletic traits.
Spagnola: No Way To Win Getting Run Over - Mickey Spagnola, The Mothership
The Cowboys have to get the run defense sorted out if they are hoping for any kind of success in 2021.
The run defense.
Pathetic, and that’s not piling on, the Cowboys giving up 2,541 rushing yards, just 87 shy of the franchise record for most opponent rushing yards in a single season set at 2,636 in the 5-11 year of 2000, but 299 more than the previous second-worse mark of the 2,242 in the inaugural 0-11-1 season of 1960.
Yep, that bad.
So hey, Dan Quinn, for some reason with that _Mission Impossible_ theme song pounding in my little brain, your mission since evidently you chose to accept it as the new defensive coordinator is to engineer a complete run defense fixer-upper.
Sure, the Cowboys had other problems in new head coach Mike McCarthy’s first year.
....
But none of that – none of it – is reason enough to yield 158.8 rushing yards a game, ranking 31st in the NFL. None of that is reason enough to give up 5.0 yards a carry, just .04 yards shy of the opponent single-season franchise record set in 1960 but more than the previous second-worse mark of 4.92 in 1961.
Roster Reset: Have They Done Enough At DT? - David Helman, The Mothership
If the Cowboys are going to stop the run, they have to get better play at defensive tackle.
With the new additions locked in, the Cowboys have five veterans with NFL experience who can man the middle of their line. They don’t need to force the issue at defensive tackle, simply because they need to.
But let’s also be realistic: this isn’t a depth chart that should prevent them from drafting another young defensive tackle if the opportunity arises.
The question is simply when that opportunity might present itself. There isn’t really a defensive tackle prospect that makes sense at No. 10 overall. It’d be fairly surprising to see them go that direction in the first round. They do have three Day 2 picks, however – No. 44, No. 75 and No. 99. Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike, N.C. State’s Alim McNeil, Louisiana Tech’s Milton Williams and LSU’s Tyler Shelvin are all guys that could fit somewhere into the puzzle.
If the value lines up, maybe they’ll make it three drafts in a row of picking a defensive tackle on Friday night. Or if that doesn’t work out, perhaps they’ll use one of their six Day 3 picks to bolster the depth behind their starters.
Cowboys’ biggest problem — a lack of NFL-caliber talent — is fixable, and sooner than you think - Kevin Sherrington, DMN
With so many picks, the Cowboys have a chance to solve many of their roster issues.
Unless Jerry Jones gets jumpy, the Cowboys have four picks in the top 100 – at 10, 44, 75 and 99. Just so you know, 100 is considered a golden number in drafts. The more picks you have inside those parameters, the better your chances of remaining employed.
The Cowboys had as many as four top 100 picks only once in the last decade, and that was in 2013, when they used them on Travis Frederick, Gavin Escobar, Terrance Williams and J.J. Wilcox. Not bad but not exactly a haul, right? As my in-laws liked to say to their lovely daughter, you could have done better.
But ’13 was also the last draft before the Cowboys put Will McClay in charge, and his record is pretty good, especially when you consider what he’s had to work with.
Over the last decade, the Cowboys averaged 2.8 picks in the top 100, which was the same they averaged in the aughts. In the ’90s, they averaged four.
As 2021 NFL draft beckons, Cowboys envision impact from 2020 class - Todd Archer, ESPN
The Cowboys think they will get even more from the 2020 draft class this season.
The Dallas Cowboys believe they had a strong draft in 2020.
They never expected receiver CeeDee Lamb to be available with the 17th overall pick. They would have seriously contemplated taking their second-round selection, cornerback Trevon Diggs, in the first round had Lamb not been there.
They believe they found starters in the third round (defensive tackle Neville Gallimore) and fourth round (center Tyler Biadasz).
As they put together their board for the 2021 NFL draft (April 29-May 1 in Cleveland, on ESPN and ESPN the App), the Cowboys know they need to find success to improve the competition on the roster.
They also need the Class of 2020 to take a leap as well.
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