Cowboys Draft: Safety Daxton Hill would fit right into Quinn's defense
The Dallas Cowboys have been known to be somewhat conservative when it comes to allocating resources at the safety position. That goes for both salary cap space and draft capital. But there's one realistic first round prospect the Cowboys could look at with the 24th overall pick. Although I'd love to talk about Notre Dame's […]
The Dallas Cowboys have been known to be somewhat conservative when it comes to allocating resources at the safety position. That goes for both salary cap space and draft capital. But there's one realistic first round prospect the Cowboys could look at with the 24th overall pick.
Although I'd love to talk about Notre Dame's Kyle Hamilton, the reality is he's likely to be taken beforehand as he's considered by many a top-10 prospect in this year's NFL Draft.
No, instead I'm talking about Safety Daxton Hill, out of Michigan. Dane Brugler, one of the top draft analysts around, described the 6-foot-0 defensive back during the The Athletic Football Show:
"You see an explosive athlete. you see A guy that can cover receivers, cover tight ends. blitz them. who finds the football." – dane Brugler
Actually, Hill is Brugler's second best ranked safety in this year's class and he's top nickel defender.
Just hearing about his rare coverage traits should get Dallas Cowboys fans excited about this potential draft pick. Dan Quinn's defense benefited tremendously from Micah Parsons as a chess piece you can move around to create favorable matchups.
A player like Hill would give the Cowboys a similar weapon but for the secondary. Now, I don't mean to say Hill has the kind of talent Parsons has. After all, the Defensive Rookie of the Year was considered by many the most talented defender in the 2021 NFL Draft.
But Hill can be a nickel cornerback and/or a free safety for the Cowboys. Plus, he's a good tackler and even though he doesn't project as a box safety, he has tools to work with versus the run.
The Draft Network projects Hill's best scheme fit to be Cover 1 and Cover 3, both single high defenses. That's music to the ears of Dan Quinn and the Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys showed one-high shells at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL and used the third-most "middle of the field closed" coverages, according to Sports Info Solutions. Hill would fit right into what the Cowboys do defensively.
Although the Cowboys are known to shy away from spending a lot on safeties, they did draft a first-round safety in Byron Jones in 2015. Although Jones later transitioned to cornerback, he was considered a safety/cornerback hybrid during the draft process.
Plus, the last offseason they signed three safeties in free agency. Damontae Kazee, Malik Hooker, and Jayron Kearse all contributed a lot to the Cowboys' defense. Kearse, named the most improved player on the team, played another kind of role but still was a safety signing.
Could Dan Quinn have enough influence to ask for a safety in the first round if the board falls a certain way? I wouldn't be surprised.
There will be plenty of possibilities for the Dallas Cowboys when they're on the clock in the first round of the NFL Draft. But even if this front office has been reluctant to heavily invest at safety, don't rule Hill out.
For more on Hill fitting into the Cowboys, check out Thursday's edition of my show, A to Z Sports Dallas Primetime!
Featured image via Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
