Inside The Cowboys First Round Decisions
Jan 3, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive lineman Kony Ealy (47) during the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2014 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Missouri won 41-31. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
So about a week ago I had a small conversation with someone with some inside knowledge of the Dallas Cowboys. Of course, we started talking about the draft. We talked about the first few founds of the draft and I was surprised when I heard mention of a few things. It made me think about all of the options the Cowboys had in the first round and how that would impact other rounds. As the conversation kept going there were more things that surprised me, made me a little mad, and made me imagine the perfect scenarios. So what are the Cowboys options and what was said? Well funny you should ask…
So of course we started talking about Donald right away in the draft. The Dallas Cowboys currently believe that he will not get past the Chicago Bears. If he does, well that is who the Dallas Cowboys will draft. There are some exceptions to this apparently, but I will get into that later. If in fact Donald is gone then the next guys are Hageman and Nix. So for all of you out there wanting D line, it looks like as of today that is exactly what the Dallas Cowboys are looking at in the first round.
Now for the one exception. If somehow Mack were to fall in the draft the Cowboys would be willing to trade up if he is within a reasonable range. I would not be against getting a talent like Mack, and I am pretty sure many fans out there would not hate it either. If they do in fact get Mack then look for Jeffcoat in the second round.
What about a safety? Well we talked about that and I specifically brought up safety in the first round. Apparently, the staff is high on the safeties on this team and are not really looking at a safety unless a few things fall through on the draft and it is the best play available. What boggled my mind about this is how they are high on a guy who hasn’t played a snap (Johnson), a guy who has been injured (Wilcox), and an under-performing, underwhelming player (Heath). So for those looking safety in the first, you may have to wait a little later in the draft.
There is a possibility the Cowboys go WR in the first or second round. This made me scratch my head on a few levels. First, this team has two starting WRs and some really good slot players. Second, this is a really deep draft in WR, and the desire to get one early is odd to me. I realize that if Dez Bryant were to go down there is little behind him, but to pick one early seems a little misguided. I am not sure I agree with this, but the staff is really high on Sammy Watkins.
I then asked about a backup QB and a FB. I brought up a few names and while Johnny Manziel’s name was dropped by who I was speaking with, I was surprised that they would go that direction. It was mentioned how he would bring revenue to the Cowboys and how Jerry kind of liked him. I for one am against Manziel as an NFL prospect, but I am not in the scouting department, I just call them like I see them. As for the FB, I dropped J.C. Copeland’s name, and the response almost made me laugh. The person said, “Only if he can play tight end.” That is how the Cowboys look for a FB, if they can play TE. Once I said his size and history as a lineman, the response was more like, “Oh, he needs to be looked at more, I would not be against that.”
The Cowboys might just trade down as well. It is well known Jerry likes to have draft picks and without a 6 rounder there is a possibility Jerry pulls off a trade to get that pick back. If they trade down then look for either a DT, DE, or WR in the first. The only caveat to that is if the top safety is still on the board if they trade down.
So there it is, some of the options the Dallas Cowboys have in the first round. Could all of this change? Yup. When I said no one knows what Jerry is really going to do there was a chuckle from both of us. It was good to hear that the staff feels the same as many fans as the needs of this team. I, for one, will be watching for some of the smoke and mirrors as well as whose pro day the Cowboys attend in the next few weeks. But, it will be an interesting draft for sure.