Cowboys split on which cornerback to select with 10th pick

The Cowboys could be eyeing a cornerback with the 10th pick Thursday night, but it sounds as if the organization is split on whom it should take. Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that there’s a “50-50 split” in the Dallas front office about whether Dallas should select Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn with its first-round pick.

If the Cowboys are indeed seeking a cornerback, it makes sense that they are deciding between Surtain and Horn; the duo has established themselves as the top two cornerbacks in the entire draft. Dallas could use reinforcement everywhere on its defense, but as ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, there aren’t pass-rushers or defensive tackles worth taking at the No. 10 spot (and the Cowboys' need for a linebacker doesn’t outweigh their need for a cornerback). While the Cowboys front office is apparently struggling to decide which of the cornerbacks to select (assuming Dallas even has that luxury), the team can be confident that it will be adding a foundational piece to its defense.

While it’s always important to take pre-draft news with a grain of salt, Archer notes that the Cowboys have generally hinted at their first-round selection days before the draft. The reporter details how the Cowboys have narrowed their focus on a specific first-rounder each year since 2015, with the one exception being last year when CeeDee Lamb unexpectedly fell.

One thing is for sure: The Cowboys won’t be trading up from No. 10. Dallas has made it abundantly clear that it won’t pay the required bounty in order to move up the draft board, even if tight end Kyle Pitts (a Jerry Jones favorite) falls outside of the top-four