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by Jon Machota
The free agency acquisitions made by the Cowboys last week have done two things for the franchise. They've upgraded the overall talent on the roster and made it more difficult for opposing teams to predict what they'll do with the 14th overall pick next month.
Two of the biggest names in NFL Draft prognosticating, ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, took part in a Monday podcast where they discussed what the Cowboys could do with that selection on April 26.
Kiper says the Cowboys are no longer forced to draft an offensive lineman like Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro because they recently signed Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to fill that position.
But the franchise also invested $50 million into signing free agent cornerback Brandon Carr. Does that mean cornerback, a position widely considered an area of need, is off the board in the first round?
Kiper says don't be so sure.
"If you're the Dallas Cowboys, you need to play defense a lot better than they did," Kiper explained. "I mean they were, I wouldn't say sieve-like, but close to it. I think the secondary had all kinds of issues. I don't think necessarily that Brandon Carr is going to mean they go away from corner. I don't think Brodney Pool means they go away from safety. They need more than just one guy at those spots.
During recent mock drafts, Kiper has been in favor of the Cowboys taking Alabama safety Mark Barron. During Monday's podcast, Kiper remained consistent with his projection, saying Barron is a better fit than his college teammate Dre Kirkpatrick or South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore, two cornerbacks mentioned as possibilities at No. 14.
"I think Mark Barron is such a good football player," Kiper said. "He will shore up a back end [of a defense]. He will give leadership to a back end, veteran experience coming from [Alabama coach] Nick Saban that I think makes him a better pick than Kirkpatrick.
"I think he's a more consistent player. I think he's a better player than Dre Kirkpatrick. So I would go Mark Barron. We'll see what direction they go but I do think it will be a defensive pick for the Cowboys at 14."
Earlier during the discussion, Kiper further addressed why the Cowboys need to focus on the defensive side of the ball.
"I just look at Dallas, you're in a division with Eli Manning, who lit your defense and your secondary up," he said. "You think about the Redskins getting better with Robert Griffin III at quarterback, how quickly he transitions remains to be seen. If he's Cam Newton it'll be pretty quick. Bottom line, there's going to be a time when RGIII is an outstanding NFL quarterback. That's at least what the Redskins hope and we believe they're going to be right on that.
"You think about the Eagles with Michael Vick and what they're going to do."
The free agency acquisitions made by the Cowboys last week have done two things for the franchise. They've upgraded the overall talent on the roster and made it more difficult for opposing teams to predict what they'll do with the 14th overall pick next month.
Two of the biggest names in NFL Draft prognosticating, ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, took part in a Monday podcast where they discussed what the Cowboys could do with that selection on April 26.
Kiper says the Cowboys are no longer forced to draft an offensive lineman like Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro because they recently signed Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings to fill that position.
But the franchise also invested $50 million into signing free agent cornerback Brandon Carr. Does that mean cornerback, a position widely considered an area of need, is off the board in the first round?
Kiper says don't be so sure.
"If you're the Dallas Cowboys, you need to play defense a lot better than they did," Kiper explained. "I mean they were, I wouldn't say sieve-like, but close to it. I think the secondary had all kinds of issues. I don't think necessarily that Brandon Carr is going to mean they go away from corner. I don't think Brodney Pool means they go away from safety. They need more than just one guy at those spots.
During recent mock drafts, Kiper has been in favor of the Cowboys taking Alabama safety Mark Barron. During Monday's podcast, Kiper remained consistent with his projection, saying Barron is a better fit than his college teammate Dre Kirkpatrick or South Carolina's Stephon Gilmore, two cornerbacks mentioned as possibilities at No. 14.
"I think Mark Barron is such a good football player," Kiper said. "He will shore up a back end [of a defense]. He will give leadership to a back end, veteran experience coming from [Alabama coach] Nick Saban that I think makes him a better pick than Kirkpatrick.
"I think he's a more consistent player. I think he's a better player than Dre Kirkpatrick. So I would go Mark Barron. We'll see what direction they go but I do think it will be a defensive pick for the Cowboys at 14."
Earlier during the discussion, Kiper further addressed why the Cowboys need to focus on the defensive side of the ball.
"I just look at Dallas, you're in a division with Eli Manning, who lit your defense and your secondary up," he said. "You think about the Redskins getting better with Robert Griffin III at quarterback, how quickly he transitions remains to be seen. If he's Cam Newton it'll be pretty quick. Bottom line, there's going to be a time when RGIII is an outstanding NFL quarterback. That's at least what the Redskins hope and we believe they're going to be right on that.
"You think about the Eagles with Michael Vick and what they're going to do."
