Dallas Cowboys: The Case For Defense in the First Round

By Daniel Ruppert | Jan 19, 2016

Jan 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (90) is blocked by Washington Redskins offensive guard Brandon Scherff (75) in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Washington won 34-23. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Against popular opinion the Dallas Cowboys need to go defense in the first round of the draft.

Before the bashing starts about the Dallas Cowboys not picking a quarterback or a running back, let’s have everyone take a breath and relax for a second. While this opinion isn’t probably the most talked about, it very well could be the direction the Cowboys go. There is a case for running backs like Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliot or Alabama’s Derrick Henry, or maybe quarterbacks like Cal’s Jared Goff or Memphis’ Paxton Lynch, but defense also has a valid case in the first round.

With the situations of cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr up in the air, and the unknowns about defensive end Greg Hardy or linebacker Rolando McClain, would bolstering the defense be all that surprising? If Ohio State all-world defensive end Joey Bosa is available at four, wouldn’t that pick make sense?

It isn’t just about bolstering the defense. The quarterbacks in this draft don’t look as good as many think. Jared Goff and Paxton Lynch both ran spread offenses in college, meaning they may not be anywhere close to NFL ready, which is fine as they would sit behind starter Tony Romo. However, Lynch played against really bad teams and Goff didn’t really win that many games. There will be questions if they can produce against better opponents.

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The next few quarterbacks in the draft are as follows:

Carson Wentz, North Dakota St. – Wentz won a ton of games, but if we are being honest it is against really inferior opponents. If he is there in the 3rd round he would be worth a flier.
Connor Cook, Michigan St. – Cook looks the part of the NFL quarterback. His issues have always been accuracy and read progressions. He hasn’t exactly improved all that much over the last few years, which means he could have hit his ceiling.
Christian Hackenberg, Penn St. – Hackenberg had a terrible offensive line, however he has huge accuracy issues and seems to fold under pressure. His completion percentage has dropped over the last two years.

While this draft isn’t the best when it comes to safeties, defensive line has about 8-10 first round talent players in this draft. If the Dallas Cowboys decide to not bring back Hardy, there are some easy plug-and-play type guys in this draft. Linebacker also has about five guys who are rated as first round talents. Lastly, the cornerback market in this draft is quite deep and has four or five players who are rated as first round talents as well.

The Cowboys, over the past few years, have done an amazing job building the offensive line. Somewhere they realized that the trenches is where games can be won and lost. While they did great against the run this year, the defensive line was poor at getting to the quarterback. Which of course makes the cornerbacks look worse. Filling the defensive line could help bolster a defense that ranked near the bottom in quarterback pressures.

Now, no one knows what is going to happen in the draft. Players rise, fall, and some completely go undrafted. The Cowboys usually draft players they bring in for a look on their visits. Combine that with coaching the Senior Bowl, and they should give some clues as to who the Cowboys might be looking at. I’m not against a quarterback or a running back, I even have advocated trading back to get Elliot with more picks in the first. Just don’t discount defense.

Next: Dallas Cowboys Free Agent Focus: CB Sean Smith

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With such a need on defense and a weak quarterback class, this could all lead to drafting to improve the defensive line, linebackers, or cornerbacks. The next few months will give a little more insight into what the Cowboys feel is a bigger need. But, don’t be surprised if the Dallas Cowboys pick defense in the first and/or second round.

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