Dallas Cowboys Practice Social Distancing During Draft Process; Interview Prospects Online
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Dallas Cowboys are giving fans a behind-the-scenes view of how they are dealing with social distancing during the NFL draft process. The team released three clips interviewing potential draft picks via online video conference calls.
The clips also show some insight on what positions the team might be targeting in the draft at the end of this month.
In this first clip, the team spoke with LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton. The Cowboys have a need at corner following the departure of Bryon Jones this offseason. Jones has been a lockdown starter for the Cowboys the last two seasons but left the team when Miami offered him a contract making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history.
Fulton was a junior on the LSU national championship team, starting all 15 games for the Tigers in 2019. He amassed 56 tackles, 20 pass deflections, two interceptions, and one forced fumble during his time with the team. CBS Sports ranks Fulton as their third-best cornerback in this year's NFL draft, the 22nd overall prospect.
The Cowboys also released a clip with Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun. Though linebacker might not seem like a need for the team with Jaylon Smith signing last offseason, and Sean Lee returning in 2020, there is an injury concern with the Cowboys first-round pick from 2018 Leighton Vander Esch. Vander Esch missed seven games during his sophomore campaign with a neck issue and has undergone surgery this offseason.
In his four years at Wisconsin, Braun racked up 152 tackles, 30 for loss, 15 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one touchdown. CBS Sports has ranks Braun as the fourth-best linebacker in the draft, the 35th overall prospect.
The Cowboys also spoke with Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts. Though some might see talking to Hurts during the Dak Prescott contract negotiation saga as a tactic, Hurts makes sense as a backup option on this team. The team's current backup, Cooper Rush has only attempted 3 passes in his three years with the Dallas Cowboys, though he has been a standout for the team during the preseason.
Hurts has an impressive college resume he spent three seasons at Alabama helping them win a national title in 2017, before transferring to Oklahoma. In his one season at Oklahoma, Hurts was 2nd in Heisman Trophy voting completing 69% of his passes for 3851 yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. CBS Sports has Hurts ranked as the seventh-best QB in this year's draft, the 128th overall prospect.
