Cowboys select upside defender in mock draft

Wake Forest CB Caelen Carson Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys select intriguing defender with massive upside in latest mock draft

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 12/14/23

Blessed with an embarrassment of riches at cornerback, the Dallas Cowboys may add to their impressive secondary in April's NFL Draft.

In the latest mock draft from Walter Football, Walter Cherepinsky has the Cowboys selecting Wake Forest CB Caelen Carson in the opening round. Cherepinsky reasons that uncertainty at the position could pique the Cowboys' interest in Carson, with veteran and five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore seemingly losing a step and All-Pro Trevon Diggs out for the year after suffering a torn ACL.

Categorized as a "sleeper" among the 2024 CB class, consensus says Carson is a second-day pick, but that might be due to his missing 12 of 48 games in college. When healthy, he has showcased why a team like the Cowboys might want to snatch him up late in the first round.

A four-year starter at Wake Forest, Carson displayed explosive athleticism and traits that translate incredibly well at the next level. Recording only four interceptions during his collegiate career, he's not a ball-hawk like Cowboys second-year star DaRon Bland. However, he was one of the ACC's top coverage corners, earning a 71.1 grade (17th) per Pro Football Focus in 2023.

Keon Coleman's a load and he def got his Saturday -- but junior Wake Forest CB Caelen Carson did put some solid reps on tape vs. a first-round talent.

Made Coleman work more than most have. pic.twitter.com/ggrLlFqS8G
— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) October 29, 2023

According to Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network, Carson's size (six-foot-four, 190 pounds) and skills in man coverage make him the prototype for a shutdown corner.

"For man-heavy defensive schemes at the NFL level," Cummings wrote, "Carson has the foot speed, explosiveness, technical discipline, fortified physicality, and catching-point conversion ability to be a potential lockdown threat, and he has the versatility to follow WRs across the formation."

Carson's skill set would fit the Cowboys' scheme perfectly. According to Jonathon Macri of Pro Football Focus, the Cowboys play man coverage at the fourth-highest rate in the league (35.5 percent).

Carson may not be the sexiest pick, but with the uncertain timetable for Diggs' return and Gilmore's future up in the air following the season, he might be the Cowboys' smartest choice.

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