The NFL’s agonizingly long draft starts tomorrow, and a new crop of future wife beaters will be thrust into a rarified tax bracket. The Cowboys, contrary to what you hear from popular sports talk radio banter and idiot print columnist trolls, have actually done well in all but one of the last few drafts — the exception being the 2012 group, highlighted by the Mo Claiborn pick that cost them a first and a second rounder. All five guys on the Cowboys ballyhooed offensive line were drafted or signed as rookies by Jones and co. The same goes for Dez Bryant, Sean Lee, Tyrone Crawford, Orlando Scandrick, recently departed Demarco Murray, and even Romo. The vast majority of the key players on last year’s resurgent team were all Cowboys’ rookies at one point.
So who will be the next guys to wear the star? I’ve peered into my crystal (foot) ball to find out. Mock drafts are generally useless, but they’re fun. So here goes nothing…
For this exercise I’m using the big board at CBS sports and I’m including a trade, because Jones said that a move up or down would be likely if the team can find a trading partner. I’m using the draft calculator invented by Jimmy Johnson so the value is realistic. Because that’s what mock drafts are all about – realism (wink).
With all of their favorite prospects off of the big board, the Cowboys have traded their first round pick (27) to St. Louis for their second (41) and third (72) round picks. The Rams moved up to nab wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, who is ranked 28 on the CBS big board.
Round 2 (pick 41): Danielle Hunter: DE, LSU
The guy is a Jason Pierre-Paul starter kit who slid in the draft because he was more disruptive than productive in college. But he’s a physical freak who Rod Marinelli could mold into a stud.
2 (60): Jay Ajayi: RB, Boise State
Meet DeMarco Murray’s replacement. Ajayi is polished, physical, smart, and he excels in pass protection – rare for a rookie.
3 (72): Xavier Cooper: DT, Washington State
Cooper slides in the draft because his production in college wasn’t great, but he was misused in Washington State’s 3-4 defense. Cooper is a natural quick twitch three-tech tackle who was used as a defensive end. He is a gifted athlete who is just scratching the surface of his potential.
3 (91): Steven Nelson: CB, Oregon State
Nelson is a perfect scheme fit and has the size that defensive coordinators like in zone corners. Here’s NFL.com’s take: “Nelson is tailor-made for the Tampa-2 scheme. An aggressive, physical player in run support who can also limit yards after catch underneath, Nelson does his best work in off coverage. As long as he can keep everything in front of him, Nelson should be able to compete for a starting spot in the league.”
4 (127): Kevin White: CB, TCU
The ‘Boys double up at a position of need and get a Horned Frog to boot. Kevin White is undersized, but he makes up for it in #swag. He had a nice showing at the Senior Bowl and was a team leader in Fort Worth. He’d probably be restricted to a slot cover guy because of size. Here’s what CBS Sports thinks about him: “Not afraid to get physical, disrupting the receiver in his routes. Small, but tough, scrappy and loves to compete, giving wideouts everything they can handle. Possesses the needed confidence to live on an island with his ballskills and “my ball” attitude. Productive three-year starter with 33 passes defended and six interceptions.”
5 (163): Ty Montgomery: WR, Stanford
The guy I really wanted, Mark Glowinski, was gone two picks ahead of me, but I really like Montgomery’s upside. He can flip the field with his kick return ability and do everything Dwayne Harris did in the offense. Think of him as a poor man’s Cordarrelle Patterson.
7 (236): Xavier Williams: DT, Northern Iowa
I was shocked to see Williams graded this low by CBS. He’s a developmental interior defender with starter upside.
7 (243): Tayo Fabuluje: G/T, TCU
Another Horned Frog! Fabuluje is big enough to block out the sun, and he’ll likely have to move inside because of his slow footwork. But he’s athletic enough to start in the NFL – and you can’t teach being 355 pounds.
