(Editor's Note: While the start of the 2020 NFL Draft isn't until April 23, it's never too early to profile some of the key participants. The staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of the draft's top prospects, with an emphasis on possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured player is LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton.)
- Name: Kristian Fulton
- Position: CB
- College: LSU
- Height/Weight: 6'0/197
- Honors: Second-team All-SEC
- Key Stat: He finished with just one interception in 2019, but Fulton was second on LSU's defense with 14 pass breakups.
Where He's Projected:
Good luck finding a consensus opinion about this year's deep cornerback class.
Ohio State's Jeff Okudah is widely regarded as the best corner in the draft and a likely top 5 pick. Florida's C.J. Henderson is commonly thought of as the No. 2 option.
After those two, it's a gaggle of about eight names – and Fulton is right in the middle of it. He formed one of the best cornerback tandems in the country at LSU last season, partnering with Derek Stingley Jr. to anchor the secondary for the eventual national champions.
Fulton is a good example of tape versus workouts. His measurables aren't going to wow anyone, but he did start 25 games in the SEC, where he consistently performed against the nation's best competition. He finished his career with 23 pass breakups and two interceptions.
Opinions about his draft stock range anywhere from mid-first round to mid-second round. It's a good bet Fulton is a top 50 draft pick, but it's hard to call him a slam dunk first-round prospect.
How He Helps The Cowboys:
This part should be obvious. Byron Jones is off to Miami and both Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis are entering contract years. The Cowboys need talent at cornerback in both the short and long term. It's arguably their biggest need in this entire draft cycle.
Fulton could help with that. Opinions vary on his ceiling, but he's one of the five or so best cornerbacks in this draft class. Best-case scenario, he grabs a starting job as a rookie. Worst-case scenario, he cedes that job to the veterans and gains some experience with an eye om starting in 2021.
The only real question is: what is the right value? There might be better players available at pick No. 17, but Fulton is unlikely to last until pick No. 51. It's on the Cowboys to determine how strongly they feel about him over the coming weeks.
