I watched Morris Claiborne play in every game at the collegiate level. Sure. It was on TV. But never missed one of his collegiate games. Dallas did a good thing in trading for pick 6, in order to score the play making skills of this sizable CB.
Breaking down Mo.
For starters, Cowboys fans, nobody calls him Morris. He’s just Mo. You may have heard that he “failed” the Wonderlic–scoring in the single digits. Yes, Claiborne has stated that he blew it off, which would seem obvious, but I’ll argue that he didn’t even read the questions that were longer than a sentence. Claiborne is a very smart football player. Incredibly versatile, and incredibly aware of what is going on with every position on the defensive side of the ball. If a safety goes down, he’s that guy who can slide over and fill in, within complex schemes. Keep in mind that LSU puts more NFL style defensive schemes on the field than any other collegiate squad–except perhaps Alabama.
Claiborne gives the Cowboys a little something to play behind DeMarcus Ware. Claiborne’s ball skills are there. He has receiver type skills when the ball is in the air. He has excellent closing speed, and anticipates well–in other words, he watches a lot of film and remembers what he watches.
His upside…is loaded with potential. Add to that the fact that he is well spoken, and was never in trouble in school. Not even with the nonsense that occurred in Baton Rouge after the end of two-a-days when Jordan Jefferson jumped into a hornets’ nest.
However…
Mo Claiborne has to get better with his hands vs. opposition. He’s strong, and will need to use that physical strength to his advantage in the NFL. He’s also got to improve his tackling when on an island–which one would have to assume he’ll be on a lot. I think Minnesota failed dismally in not selecting him, considering the receivers that are now in their division. Clearly, the Vikings aren’t concerned about winning now.
