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The Dallas Cowboys remain active in the free agency process as one way to fill roster holes, most recently bringing in veteran safety George Iloka. Outside of the flirtation with Earl Thomas, the expectation for the Cowboys was never to sign a blue-chip free agent, making the release of their pre-draft visitors even more exciting. A continued emphasis on defensive line and safety talent is the ongoing theme here, with the safety depth chart still barren of any new additions this offseason.
One confirmed top-30 visit is Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram. Having a chance to further impress the Cowboys in person with the tape to go with it, Abram is a name that should remain in the Cowboys draft conversations all the way through April.
Abram increased his production each year at Mississippi State, reeling in his first two interceptions this season to go with three sacks and 99 tackles. Measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds at the combine, Abram also boasts 31 3/8-inch arms and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash – both respectable results for the safety that expects to remain on the board close to the Cowboys’ 58th overall pick.
Strengths
Abram is a natural magnet for the football, effortlessly using short, comfortable strides to cover ground and arrive ready to lower the shoulder.
When coming downhill against the run, Abram takes pride in putting runners on the ground, something he does at a high rate in space by running his legs through tackles.
Abram plays with exceptional spatial awareness, using the sideline as an extra defender in coverage. Not the most vertically explosive athlete, Abram doesn’t shy away from attacking the ball at its highest point to separate it from the receiver.
Understanding the routes developing in front of him, Abram consistently gets to the proper depth in his drops while remaining in position to break down and come up for shorter throws. There are few plays this safety will leave on the field throughout the course of the game. Asked to line up in the box occasionally, Abram is quick to shoot gaps with the speed to outrun linemen and stay clean as he picks through the line.
Finding plays where opponents completely got the best of Abram is difficult. This is a composed player whose next team will need a clear plan for him. Once given this sense of direction, the untapped potential in Abram’s game is high.
Weaknesses
Whether or not the over-aggression seen in Abram’s game can be methodically coached out of him is something the Cowboys have to decide. Abram will get caught with his eyes in the backfield far too often, allowing receivers to get behind him.
When left alone in man coverage, Abram concedes too much ground and doesn’t flip his hips with the fluidity needed to consistently recover. Around the line of scrimmage, Abram struggles to break down and loses contain without any overwhelming play strength to shed and get back to the ball.
Measurables & Stats
Summary
Grading safety prospects is generally difficult because of the variance in how teams deploy them. Before taking a closer look at how Abram specifically fits the Cowboys secondary, it’s important to know what traits his NFL team are working with.
On the positive side, there are plenty of well-rounded skills in Abram’s game to believe he’s a Day 1 contributor in his rookie season. Football intellect and an alpha mentality that jumps off the tape is hard to teach, and that’s what should get Abram into late first round talks.
Any team holding out hope for Abram in the second or third round will point to his deficiencies against the run, primed to be exposed further by the speed at the next level. Lined up in the slot against Iowa this season, Abram was caught flat-footed and conceded a walk-in touchdown that simply can’t happen.
Labeling Abram as a flash player would be fair, but also one that’s taken significant strides in his all-around game with the goal in mind of being one of the steals of the 2019 Draft.
Abram earns a second-round grade on my 2019 NFL Draft board.
In The Stars?
The Cowboys’ free agency pursuits of Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, and George Iloka alludes to their confidence in Xavier Woods as a penciled-in starter for 2019.
Woods and Abram are cut from a similar cloth, both versatile safeties that can do the right amount of everything to be immensely valuable. In Kris Richard’s scheme, Abram’s range has a chance to improve this defense’s production taking the ball away, with Woods developing further as a deep safety.
With enough bodies capable of going back and playing safety, the Cowboys need to come out of the draft with a legitimately improved depth chart to justify using a high pick on a safety. Abram certainly accomplishes this, and for this reason is worth the 58th overall pick as a pre-draft visitor the Cowboys will be hoping remains in play for that long.
Gallery
Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft: March 15, 2019
Continue reading...
One confirmed top-30 visit is Mississippi State safety Jonathan Abram. Having a chance to further impress the Cowboys in person with the tape to go with it, Abram is a name that should remain in the Cowboys draft conversations all the way through April.
Abram increased his production each year at Mississippi State, reeling in his first two interceptions this season to go with three sacks and 99 tackles. Measuring in at 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds at the combine, Abram also boasts 31 3/8-inch arms and ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash – both respectable results for the safety that expects to remain on the board close to the Cowboys’ 58th overall pick.
Strengths
Abram is a natural magnet for the football, effortlessly using short, comfortable strides to cover ground and arrive ready to lower the shoulder.
When coming downhill against the run, Abram takes pride in putting runners on the ground, something he does at a high rate in space by running his legs through tackles.
Abram plays with exceptional spatial awareness, using the sideline as an extra defender in coverage. Not the most vertically explosive athlete, Abram doesn’t shy away from attacking the ball at its highest point to separate it from the receiver.
Understanding the routes developing in front of him, Abram consistently gets to the proper depth in his drops while remaining in position to break down and come up for shorter throws. There are few plays this safety will leave on the field throughout the course of the game. Asked to line up in the box occasionally, Abram is quick to shoot gaps with the speed to outrun linemen and stay clean as he picks through the line.
Finding plays where opponents completely got the best of Abram is difficult. This is a composed player whose next team will need a clear plan for him. Once given this sense of direction, the untapped potential in Abram’s game is high.
Weaknesses
Whether or not the over-aggression seen in Abram’s game can be methodically coached out of him is something the Cowboys have to decide. Abram will get caught with his eyes in the backfield far too often, allowing receivers to get behind him.
When left alone in man coverage, Abram concedes too much ground and doesn’t flip his hips with the fluidity needed to consistently recover. Around the line of scrimmage, Abram struggles to break down and loses contain without any overwhelming play strength to shed and get back to the ball.
Measurables & Stats
Summary
Grading safety prospects is generally difficult because of the variance in how teams deploy them. Before taking a closer look at how Abram specifically fits the Cowboys secondary, it’s important to know what traits his NFL team are working with.
On the positive side, there are plenty of well-rounded skills in Abram’s game to believe he’s a Day 1 contributor in his rookie season. Football intellect and an alpha mentality that jumps off the tape is hard to teach, and that’s what should get Abram into late first round talks.
Any team holding out hope for Abram in the second or third round will point to his deficiencies against the run, primed to be exposed further by the speed at the next level. Lined up in the slot against Iowa this season, Abram was caught flat-footed and conceded a walk-in touchdown that simply can’t happen.
Labeling Abram as a flash player would be fair, but also one that’s taken significant strides in his all-around game with the goal in mind of being one of the steals of the 2019 Draft.
Abram earns a second-round grade on my 2019 NFL Draft board.
In The Stars?
The Cowboys’ free agency pursuits of Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, and George Iloka alludes to their confidence in Xavier Woods as a penciled-in starter for 2019.
Woods and Abram are cut from a similar cloth, both versatile safeties that can do the right amount of everything to be immensely valuable. In Kris Richard’s scheme, Abram’s range has a chance to improve this defense’s production taking the ball away, with Woods developing further as a deep safety.
With enough bodies capable of going back and playing safety, the Cowboys need to come out of the draft with a legitimately improved depth chart to justify using a high pick on a safety. Abram certainly accomplishes this, and for this reason is worth the 58th overall pick as a pre-draft visitor the Cowboys will be hoping remains in play for that long.
Gallery
Cowboys 7-round Mock Draft: March 15, 2019
Continue reading...