Cowboys 2021 NFL mock draft tracker: We’ve reached peak consensus when it comes to Dallas’ pick at 10

How much mystery will there be when the Cowboys go on the clock at pick #10 in the 2021 NFL draft? If you believe the mock drafts, the position that the Cowboys take is already a known entity. We surveyed 10 recent mocks and all 10 had the Cowboys taking a cornerback at pick #10. Now they’re just debating of which one the Cowboys will take. Some of the argument is really just about which one is available at pick #10.

For the most part, Patrick Surtain II has become the consensus pick among the corners. If he is available, he is the pick according to this section of mocks.

Patrik Walker, CBS Sports

1. Patrick Surtain, II, CB

Pick: Round 1, 10th-overall

School: Alabama

With both Kyle Pitts and Penei Sewell gone off the board ahead of this pick, to the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals, respectively, the Cowboys find themselves in position to take one of the two best corners in the draft — giving Surtain the nod here over an equally worthy Jaycee Horn. Count me out on taking a risk on Caleb Farley in the first round, considering he lacks the experience and pedigree of Surtain along with his continued battle with back issues. While both Surtain and Horn could likely do damage from Day One in Dallas, the Bama star already has chemistry with current CB1 and former second-round pick Trevon Diggs, stemming from their time on the field together in Tuscaloosa. He’d hit the ground running in that capacity, and literally — his sub-4.5s speed combining with his size and ability to instantly fill the glaring hole opposite Diggs. The SEC Defensive Player of the Year (2020), First-Team All-SEC (2020) and Unanimous All-American (2020) talent has the potential to join his former Bama teammate in establishing framework for a Legion of Boom 2.0 under the tutelage of Dan Quinn, and both are drooling at the thought of reuniting after having won a national championship together. Reuniting them will give them a chance to do it again, but this time as professionals.

Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

Patrick Surtain II CB

Alabama • Jr • 6’2” / 203 lbs

Easy decision for the Cowboys to take the best cornerback on the board, especially after having an embarrassing secondary last year. Surtain is the boundary corner Dallas needs if defensive coordinator Dan Quinn decides to be primarily in Cover 3. The Cowboys will be extremely pleased with this pick.

Austin Gayle, Pro Football Focus

10. Dallas Cowboys — CB Patrick Surtain II, Alabama

Patrick Surtain II likely solidified his spot as the top cornerback to come off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft with his Pro Day. His 87.0 PFF grade in 2020 also led all college cornerbacks with at least 400 defensive snaps.

Jacob Camenker, NBC Sports

10. Dallas Cowboys: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama

The Cowboys had success with one Alabama cornerback last year in Trevon Diggs. Surtain II would pair well with him and is coming off a great pro day at Alabama where he looked very good in the on-field drills.

Eric Edholm, Yahoo Sports

10. Dallas Cowboys

Alabama CB Patrick Surtain II

This has been one of my most common mock pairings, and why not? It just makes a lot of sense. Surtain had a great pro day, quieting some of the talk that he wasn’t quite an elite athlete.

Surtain might never be a top-five corner in the league, but we feel he eventually will fall just below that mark at his peak and provide Dallas far better coverage in a shoddy secondary. There’s now a bit of a Bama-to-Dallas pipeline with Amari Cooper, Trevon Diggs and Saivion Smith.

Drae Harris, The Draft Network

Patrick Surtain II

CB, Alabama

The Cowboys seem to be in the market for a cornerback every year. They select Patrick Surtain II, who many consider the “cleanest and safest” cornerback in this draft. Surtain joins his former Alabama teammate Trevon Diggs as the starting corners in Dallas.

There is a small uptick in mocks sending South Carolina corner Jaycee Horn the Cowboys’ way. Sometimes that is just a result of Surtain being already gone, and Horn supplanting Caleb Farley as CB2.

C.J. Doon, Baltimore Sun

10. Dallas Cowboys: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

As tempting as it might be to improve the offense, the Cowboys can’t afford to ignore their holes on defense. Help at all levels is needed, but the secondary is the most glaring spot after the loss of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. Horn’s stock has risen considerably since the start of the 2020 season, with some even arguing for him to be the top cornerback in this class.

Todd McShay, ESPN

10. Dallas Cowboys

Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

Jourdan Lewis is back in Dallas, but the Cowboys still want to upgrade the cornerback position opposite Trevon Diggs. Perhaps it’s Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, though his back procedure might cause concern. Instead, I’m tabbing Horn, a speedy and versatile press corner. The Cowboys gave up 34 passing touchdowns last season, so expect them to address that area here — unless they opt to help protect the $160 million man, QB Dak Prescott, with one of the class’s top tackles.

But every once in a while, Horn is the pick because someone believes he is CB1.

Pro Football Network, Ian Cummings

10. Dallas Cowboys: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

The “Jaycee Horn is CB1″ train adds new passengers every day. After his pro day performance, there’s no denying that Horn is a potential blue-chip prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. The South Carolina product put up one of the best Relative Athletic Scores ever at cornerback, registering a 9.99 overall. He logged a 4.4 40-yard dash, a 41.5-inch vertical, a 133-inch broad jump, and 19 bench reps with 33-inch arms.

With an elite combination of athleticism, length, and competitive swagger, Horn looks like he could be the next lockdown cornerback. In need of talent all over their defense, the Cowboys would be unwise to pass him up here.

And then there are those who still believe in Farley. In this mock, which is definitely an outlier, the Cowboys pass on Surtain and Kyle Pitts to take Farley.

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

10. Dallas Cowboys (6-10)

Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech (6-2, 207 pounds)

With the Broncos going away from cornerback, the Cowboys can fell good about addressing their key defensive need for Jerry Jones in new coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense, especially when it lines up with the best player available. Farley was one of the first top prospects to opt out for his final college season. He has great size and solid all-around coverage skills to the point he can develop into a sound shutdown player.

If all three are available at pick #10, who do you got between Surtain, Horn and Farley?