The Dallas Cowboys have some work to do this off-season filling the holes in their roster. No position may be in more dire need of being addressed then the cornerback position. And to think, things could even be worse if not for last years sixth round draft pick, Anthony Brown.
To state that Anthony Brown was a godsend is an understatement.
As a sixth round draft pick, Brown wasn't even guaranteed a roster spot in training camp, but he took advantage of his opportunities when one of the players went down with an injury.
He ended up playing in all 16 games and started nine of those contests. He finished his rookie season with 55 tackles, eight passes defensed, one forced fumble, and one interception. Those are all pretty impressive numbers, especially when you compare them to Jalen Ramsey's, who was the first CB drafted in 2016 NFL Draft.
Ramsey started all 16 games and finished his first year in the NFL with only 10 more tackles (65), six more passes defensed (14), and one more interception (2). Ramsey did however score a defensive touchdown for the Jacksonville Jaguars, something that Anthony Brown unfortunately wasn't able to accomplish.
You can see for yourself that the Dallas Cowboys received tremendous value in the sixth round by drafting Anthony Brown instead of investing their first round draft pick in a player that put up similar numbers.
Of course, both Ramsey and Brown are just getting their professional careers started in the NFL and things may change in time. But, there's no denying that #30 has a bright future in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys.
If not for Dak Prescott's impressive rookie season, then we would all be raving about the year Anthony Brown had for the Cowboys. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you look at it, Brown was overshadowed by both Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. That's just how good the Dallas Cowboys 2016 draft class was.
The Cowboys rookies played a total of 3,136 snaps in 2016 and do you know who played the most?
No, it wasn't Anthony Brown. It was the Cowboys future signal caller, Dak Prescott, with a total of 1,011 snaps. But, Brown did finish second with 715 snaps, ahead of Ezekiel Elliott (712), Maliek Collins (662), and Kavon Frazier (36).
The former Purdue Boilermaker cornerback may have been able to stay somewhat in the shadows his rookie season, but that will surely change in 2017 since he is projected to start at one of the CB positions. In fact, he might just be the best CB the Cowboys have on their roster currently.
As things stand right now, Anthony Brown, Orlando Scandrick, and Leon McFadden are your top three corners for the Cowboys. So, you can see why this position absolutely has to be addressed this off-season.
Fortunately though, #30 at least gives all of us Dallas Cowboys fans a glimmer of hope that the future of the CB position is getting younger and more talented. We just have to hope that continues.
What do you think of Anthony Brown's first season in the NFL?
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