Cowboys Draft 2020: 5 To Watch during Baylor-SFA

Dallas Cowboys scouts are all over the country this weekend, and as the editor-in-chief of the College Football America Yearbook, I’m celebrating Labor Day weekend covering three football games. In my role with CowboyMaven I’ll update you on players that I see from week to week and how they could fit from a Cowboys perspective.

My second game this weekend is the contest between Stephen F. Austin and Baylor in Waco, Texas. So here are five players I’m keeping an eye on Thursday night from a Cowboys 2020 Draft perspective.

WR Denzel Mims, Baylor

The Big 12 is stacked with wide receivers this season, with four potential All-Americans. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them at some point this year, and Mims will be the first. He flirted with the NFL in January but decided to return, and I think that was a solid decision on his behalf. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound speedster caught 55 passes for 794 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2018. He tends to get overlooked, but he has great speed and his hands have improved since I first saw him as a sophomore two years ago. NFL scouts want speed, but they also want polished route running and that’s what I’m looking for when it comes to Mims on Saturday night. SFA’s secondary is probably its best position group and while Baylor should roll, that secondary will provide Mims with a little early-season test. As I mentioned in my A&M piece, the Cowboys could have a lot of turnover on the back end of their wide receiver depth in 2020, which could necessitate an investment in the draft.

DE James Lockhart, Baylor

The 6-foot-2, 263-pound senior is coming off a 2018 in which he had just 11 tackles and a sack. Those numbers don’t sound promising. So why am I interested in seeing him play? The Baylor staff says Lockhart is the most improved lineman on the team entering 2019. He had to redshirt in 2017 after transferring from Texas A&M, so he really hasn’t built a consistent resume. But the measurables, as they say, are solid on Lockhart. The height is a bit on the low end, but the weight is perfect for an NFL defensive end. He has one more year to impress scouts. The Bears have a core group of about 10 NFL prospects this season, so Lockhart will have to find a way to stand out. A good first game against an average SFA offensive line would help. I’m interested to see if Baylor’s assessment of his improvement is accurate.

LB Clay Johnston, Baylor

Johnston is the Baylor defense’s beating heart. The inside linebacker is a fifth-year senior, returning starter, All-Big 12 Second Team selection from a year ago and leads all returning players for the Bears with 179 tackles. There are few players in the Big 12 with his experience and know-how. The Bears play a 3-4 system, so it will be interesting for me to see if his skills can fit into the 4-3 scheme the Cowboys play. At 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, he might need a year to adjust to the NFL game and could stand to gain a few pounds at that level. But the Cowboys likely wouldn’t look at Johnston to be a starter right away. But if you look at Johnston as a fifth or sixth linebacker next year — a need the Cowboys will have in 2020 — a late-round flier on a player like Johnston isn’t out of the question.

FS Alize Ward, Stephen F. Austin

When Hero Sports posted its 2020 NFL Draft FCS Player Rankings, Ward made the list as their No. 33-ranked free safety. Now, that’s probably undrafted free-agent land for most FCS players. But I’m curious to see if Ward has room to grow going into his senior year. He’s been an All-Southland Conference Second-Team performer each of the past two seasons. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds he’s undersized for today’s NFL. But a few things stand out. He’s entering his fourth season as a full-time player. He has a nose for the football, in terms of picking off passes. And he’s logged time as a kickoff returner, making him a versatile commodity. Those are traits that make NFL teams take notice of players at the FCS level. Ward will be going up against some of the best wide receivers in the Big 12 on Saturday and I’m interested to see how well he patrols the field. The Cowboys have some issues going into next season at safety, not the least of which is that Jeff Heath is a free agent.

WR Tamrick Pace, Stephen F. Austin

The former FCS Freshman All-American is another player with versatility to burn and he’ll get a chance to match up with FBS-level defenders on Saturday night. Pace can catch passes, return kicks and was responsible for nearly a quarter of SFA’s points a year ago. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds he has the height to be competitive for a spot in the NFL. What I’m interested in is seeing whether he has the hands, foot speed and route tree to be successful at the next level.

On Sunday night I’ll be in Norman, Okla., for the Houston-Oklahoma game. We’ll look at players to watch from that contest later this week.

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