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The Cowboys have shown a certain affinity for safeties (Keanu Neal; Jayron Kearse; Damontae Kazee) during these past few months. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones has long expressed a profound love for the state in which he conducts the majority of his business endeavors. And everyone who knows anything about his career exploits knows that he’s a sucker for big-play, highly-billed prospects who can flip a franchise’s needle with the flick of a wrist.
TCU safety Trevon Moehrig checks all of those categorical boxes, at least on paper.
He’s Texas made and bread, an alum of Smithson Valley High in Spring Branch, TX, where he played corner and ran track before lacing up his college cleats down the street at nearby Texas Christian. At the safety position, he made tremendous waves as the last line of defense for the Horned Frogs during his three seasons in Fort Worth, earning two First-Team All-Big 12 awards for his patrolling of the unit’s secondary territory, as well as a Jim Thorpe nomination.
And he’s got box office written all over him, a quality that surely calls to Jones’ pocketbooks.
Moehrig’s widely considered amongst the premier safety prospects (if not THE standalone alpha) in this year’s draft class.
Which is a status attributed to him for good reason: he’s a tall and lanky ball-tracker with a nose for the pigskin and deft turn-and-go skills. He's shown a knack for sliding up and leveling receivers coming across the middle on slant and drag routes, and can stick his nose in the trenches for needed run support when called for.
He doesn’t always finish through his take-downs, and film snippets will pit him in impugnable lights with a tendency to dismiss routine form tackles for Madden-esque hit stick haymakers. His play recognition is also a noticeable smudge he’ll need to sop up at the next level.
Nonetheless, Moehrig’s intangibles, and his potential, remain commendable. And they were more than enough to warrant attention from several professional teams who have their sights set on him in the early round of this week’s draft. Jones was one of those suitors.
During the squad’s pre-draft interviews with the 2020 Preseason All-American, Jones initiated the conversation by informing Moehrig that he “loved” his head coach at TCU (Gary Patterson). “He gets me fired up every time I’m around him,” Jones added.
He, along with head coach Mike McCarthy and secondary coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., proceeded to ask Moehrig several questions about his personality, and on-field disposition.
Moehrig’s response to an inquiry about his best attribute as a football player was that of a quintessential pro’s pro:
“I definitely just come back to the versatility aspect, being able to move around, play a bunch of different roles and positions, I’d also say communication. That was a big thing at TCU, just being able to communicate and process.”
He added in the dialogue: “I’m an easy person to get along with. Great teammate. Someone who’s going to be there for everybody.”
It was a statement that clearly impressed the team’s owner.
Jones’ feedback: “Congratulations. You’re a credit to football. And I’m proud of your career that you had at TCU.”
Something tells me Jones wouldn’t mind showering Moehrig with another congratulatory salute in the coming days. If the Cowboys don’t see what they like at 10, a trade-back could put Moehrig in play.