2017 NFL Mock Draft: First-round projections after Week 11

Last year’s Clemson secondary that featured Mackensie Alexander and first-year starter Cordrea Tankersley led the Tigers all the way to the national title game. Clemson had one of the best defenses in the country, led by those two quality corners. However, Tankersley returned in 2016 as the lone starter in the secondary.

The senior could have gone a season early, but he decided to come back and hone his game, improving on the few weaknesses he had. He had a tendency of using his hands too much when in doubt, drawing attention from the officials. That is the kind of penalty that could cost a team a ton of yards in the NFL.

However, he has good size and long arms. He has the ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and he reacts very quickly to passes. He doesn’t often get beat and moves well, making for a solid addition to the Cowboys’ improving secondary.

Dallas is a team loaded with young stars on offense, but it’s clear that the defensive side of the ball needs to be addressed in this draft. With Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott emerging as the future of the organization, it’d be wise to add a defensive back to be the cornerstone of the unit.