3 Cowboys Draft Picks Who May Not Make the 53-Man Roster

2. Justin Rogers, DT, Auburn: Round 7, Pick 244

The Cowboys needed defensive tackle depth after letting Neville Gallimore and Johnathan Hankins leave in free agency. They did spend a first-round pick on Mazi Smith last year but a terrible plan to have him lose weight essentially ruined his rookie campaign. Smith is expected to play the 1-tech again and add as much weight as he can under Mike Zimmer.

There's more than enough reason to believe he will be just fine — especially since Zimmer knows what he's doing and Smith manhandled linemen with ease at Michigan when he was allowed to be himself. But what they don't have is any depth at all at the nose tackle spot.

That's why it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them add someone earlier than Round 7, which is where they took Justin Rogers from Auburn. Rogers has the size at 6-foot-3 and 346 pounds but his production left a lot to be desired. He should be able to beat out Carl Davis but don't be shocked to see undrafted free agent Denzel Daxon give him a run for his money.

Daxon was overlooked at Illinois but that was due to Johnny Newton and Keith Randolph, Jr. on the same line. He was highly effective against the run, posting three or more stops in seven games last year. Daxon is another big body at 6-foot-2 and 335 pounds and might be able to fight his way onto this roster, which would be at the expense of Rogers.