Dallas Cowboys Rookie DB Israel Mukuamu: Why Barry Church 'Loves' Him

Originally posted on FanNation Cowboy Maven
By Mike Fisher | Last updated 5/19/21

The Dallas Cowboys, it has been suggested to us, actually kinda had Patrick Surtain and Jaycee Horn ranked above Micah Parsons in the first round, but hey, Parsons starting at linebacker might make it work out.

The Cowboys, by their own actions, had cornerback Kelvin Joseph (taken in the second round) and cornerback Nahshon Wright (taken in the third round) ranked above Israel Mukuamu.

But if Barry Church is to be believed, hey, the sixth-round pick used on Mukuamu might make it work out as well.

“You heard it here first, Mukuamu. Israel Mukuamu,” Church said as he gave the late-round selection props after watching the team’s rookie minicamp last weekend. "This is a big kid, 6-4, 212…. A big guy. They moved him back to free safety, so I was looking a the DB drills. ... I’m looking at him and this guy looked fluid. I’m talking about from the breaks, I mean there was no false steps, he wasn’t stepping in a bucket.

"Everything just seemed to be a positive movement with this guy.”

Mukuamu was a corner in college, playing opposite of Horn at South Carolina. There, he played in 30 games in three seasons, totaling 86 tackles and seven interceptions. He did play a little safety there, too ... and that is where Dallas figures he best fits in the NFL.

He is substantially taller than Damontae Kazee, the ex-Falcons DB who signed here in free agency. And he may be more of a playmaker on the ball than Donovan Wilson, who emerged as a viable strong safety for Dallas last year.

But as a rotational guy?

“This guy was catching everything,'' said Church, the former Dallas safety doing analysis for DallasCowboys.com. "I’m loving what I’m seeing from this guy. I know it’s early ... I wanna see what he can bring to the table for this defense especially in that safety room where it seems to be up for grabs.”

This article first appeared on FanNation Cowboy Maven and was syndicated with permission.

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