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Marcus Peters Makes Most Sense for Dallas Cowboys in 2015 NFL Draft

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By @GregSulik

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The Dallas Cowboys were one of the pleasant surprises of the NFL season, winning the NFC East with a 12-4 record and making it to the Divisional Round before being knocked out of the playoffs. The Cowboys have a lot of work to do to keep their team intact this offseason, which they’ve begun with Jason Garrett’s contract extension. However, they also have some big decisions to make on who to bring in to help them reach the next level.

The biggest weakness for Dallas this season was the pass defense, which ranked 26th in the NFL and gave up 316 yards and three touchdowns to a hobbled Aaron Rodgers in the season ending loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys have some questions at cornerback with Sterling Moore set to be a free agent, Morris Claiborne coming off a torn patellar tendon, and Brandon Carr as a possible cap casualty. The Cowboys need to invest in a talented young cornerback to improve their secondary and offer insurance in case they lose Carr and Moore.

Trae Waynes is the consensus top corner in the draft, but the Cowboys would probably have to move up close to 10 spots from their current N0. 27 pick to get him. That’s not to say Jerry Jones is opposed to doing that, because we all know he’s not, but that’s a huge move for a player no one is talking about as the next Richard Sherman.

Instead, the Cowboys would be better focusing on one of the next best options, and the player that makes the most sense is Marcus Peters from Washington. There is a lot of debate about who the next best prospects are at corner  after Waynes, but almost everyone agrees that Peters is the most talented of the bunch. However, he comes with major character red flags that could scare teams away.

At 5’11″, 193 lbs., Peters has great size and physicality for the position. Peters is a hard hitter who performs well in run support, and he is very comfortable playing aggressive man to man coverage. Peters recorded 11 interceptions in two and a half seasons for the Huskies, and he has some of the best hands and ball skills of any corner in this draft. Put simply, on pure talent you can make a very strong argument he’s the best corner in the draft.

However, Peters was dismissed from Washington’s team halfway through this season following repeated clashes with coaches. The questions around Peters aren’t legal issues, but any team interested in him has to be concerned about anger issues and whether or not he’ll fit in a locker room and respond to coaching.

The Cowboys are one of the most willing teams in the NFL to take a chance on troubled players, as evidenced by their commitment to Josh Brent and their gamble on Rolando McClain, the latter of which paid off big time. Cornerback is Dallas’ biggest need, and Peters could give them an immediate starter and upgrade their pass defense.

Peters should be available at No. 27 overall, and although this would be a boom or bust pick, the Cowboys have never been afraid of that. The Cowboys have a very short championship window with Tony Romo turning 35 this offseason and having back problems. They need players who can contribute now, and there may not be a corner in this draft who fits that bill better than Peters.

There are safer picks available, but none that have the upside of Peters. He is the best fit for the Cowboys from both a talent and need perspective, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them swing for the fences on this pick.

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