Without much movement on either Morris Claiborne or Brandon Carr over the first week of free agency, it appears the Cowboys might be okay with sticking to their current roster, and potentially drafting a defensive back or two.
Despite signing Nolan Carroll, who staff writer Sean Martin was very complimentary of this week, Dallas is still certainly in the cornerback market during this year’s NFL Draft.
One corner which has risen since his performance at the NFL Combine is UCLA’s Fabian Moreau. Mocked to the Cowboys in round one by staff writer Brian Martin, Moreau has gone from a consensus day two pick, to potentially finding himself in the thick of things on day one.
After dazzling scouts with a 4.35 40 yard dash and 136 inch broad jump, I had to go back and check out Moreau’s film in a more in-depth way. And after writing up my scouting report on Fabian Moreau for Slant Sports, I can say with confidence that he could make a nice home in the Dallas secondary.
At 6′ 206 pounds, Moreau meets the threshold of Cowboys’ corners in terms of height and weight. And considering his athletic prowess, I am sure Cowboys scouts and coaches will be intrigued by what Moreau has to offer.
On the field, I saw a lot of good things out of Moreau. A fluid athlete who looks smooth in his backpedal, Moreau is a natural athlete who could play in Dallas on day one.
The first thing I noticed with Moreau was his ability to break on the ball. Playing with good acceleration which helps his recovery speed as well as his ability to get downfield, Moreau undercut and batted away/intercepted multiple passes on tape.
Fabian Moreau is a converted running back, and at times you can see his inexperience at corner shine through. His time in the offensive backfield does help him, however, as he is not afraid of contact, and loves to lower his shoulder and tackle.
Improving on his technique both in his drops and when taking angles will be key to Moreau’s development, but with his size, athletic ability, and natural talent, I don’t anticipate him having many problems.
Another area in which Moreau excels is with his field awareness. He does a nice job of using the sideline as an extra defender, and angling receivers to the sideline on vertical routes. Moreau is a very smart, experienced player, and it certainly shows on tape.
I went into the NFL Combine with a second round grade on Fabian Moreau, and that grade has not changed. A top performer at said combine, he is almost certain to rise on many draft boards over the coming weeks, however.
If the Cowboys want to get their hands on Moreau, they will have to do so in round one. And after scouting the UCLA stud, I would have no issues with Dallas pulling the trigger on this pick with their first selection.
In my opinion, drafting Fabian Moreau would be an instant improvement at outside corner. And with the addition of Nolan Carroll. Moreau would be allowed some time to learn the position without being thrown into the fire on day one.
In a couple of years we could be looking at Anthony Brown and Fabian Moreau patrolling the back-end of the Dallas defense.
Good luck, NFC East.
Isn’t he going to be injured for most of this season?