Cowboys Insider Reveals Two Darkhorse CB Prospects Perfect for Christian Parker

The Dallas Cowboys are likely to add more cornerback depth in the NFL draft, with two players standing out as potential fits.

Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fixing the defense has been the focus for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, and that began with the hiring of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.

The former Philadelphia Eagles passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach is not only bringing a new scheme to Dallas, but a completely different mindset when it comes to player acquisition.

In the past, the Cowboys have been focused too heavily on measurables, which is something Parker isn't as concerned with. That was evident when they signed cornerback Cobie Durant, who doesn't boast the ideal frame Dallas typically targets. That's opened things up for them in the NFL draft, which led to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News identifying two targets.

One is a player who would be welcome even if measurements were key, and one who wouldn't have been on the radar just a couple of years ago.

Ephesians Prysock, Washington

Washington cornerback Ephesians Prysock reacts after a play against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Hoyt says many teams will be looking at Ephesians Prysock out of Washington due to his height and arm length.

"Prysock’s name is not the only thing that sticks out. He stands tall at 6-3. He has the ideal arm length that many teams — the Cowboys chief among them, recently — seek, measuring in at 33 and one-eighth inches. That places Prysock in the 94th percentile among draft prospects since 2011, according to mockdraftable.com," Hoyt wrote.

Prysock has all the tools to be a difference-maker, but he didn't have much on-ball production. Lack of turnovers was an issue in 2025 for the Cowboys, so it would be ideal to see them target someone who can take the ball away. That's the case with Durant, who had three interceptions during the Los Angeles Rams' playoff run last year. It's also the case for the second prospect Hoyt identified.

D'Angelo Ponds, Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back D'Angelo Ponds against the Miami Hurricanes. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

D'Angelo Ponds is a player the Cowboys typically would have shied away from due to his size. At 5-foot-9 and 182 pounds, Ponds is one of the smaller secondary prospects, but he had a stellar collegiate career at James Madison and Indiana.

This past season, Ponds had 11 pass deflections and two interceptions. He finished his career with 33 pass deflections and seven interceptions. Hoyt cites those numbers as a reason to believe in Ponds.

"Consider Indiana corner D’Angelo Ponds as an example. Ponds is 5-9. His arms are sub-30 inches. That might be concerning at first glance, unless a draft evaluator also saw that he had the highest vertical jump at the NFL Combine and was only second among all prospects to Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers (Denton Guyer)," Hoyt wrote. "Ponds also had the production in college, totaling 33 pass breakups and seven interceptions in three seasons at James Madison and Indiana."

He added that Ponds played zone coverage for the majority of his career, something that he would be asked to do frequently in Parker's scheme.

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