Dillon Thieneman: Cowboys' New Safety Star

0:00On March 28, Dallas Cowboys been beefing up their safety spot this off-season, dropping cash on Jalen Thompson and PJ, locked to pair with Malik Hooker. That's a solid core, but they still need that deep-range ball-hawk to shut down big plays. Enter Dylan Dieneman from Oregon, a 6-foot 201-pound speed demon who ran a 4.3540 at the Combine. Dieneman started hot at Purdue, snagging freshmen all-American honors, and Big Ten freshmen of the year. Transferred to Oregon, racked up 306 tackles and 8 picks over 32 straight starts, showing he's built for the grind. Fans and scouts buzzing about his elite instincts. He reads quarterbacks like a book, covers sideline to sideline with smooth hips and snatches balls. Out of the air. Due tackles violent, plays versatile from the box to deep safety, always chasing plays with that fire. Sure, his size gets tested against big linemen, and he can hesitate on tricky reads or buy too hard on fakes.

1:02But new defensive coordinator Christian Parker loves rainty safeties who disguise coverages, and Thioneman slots right in next to Hooker. Grab him mid to lay first round, and he jumps straight into the rotation, stabilized in the secondary for years, while the vets age out. Cowboys could lock down the back end with this move.