By Vince Langford
vlangford@star-telegram.com
The Dallas Cowboys have done well in recent NFL Drafts, and the 2017 draft shapes up as a good opportunity to fill their expected needs.
The opportunity is there, even though the Cowboys drop from No. 4 in 2016 to No. 28 in 2017.
The Cowboys need defensive backs; there are plenty of good defensive backs, and, Pro Football Focus says, maybe the best safety class in years. The Cowboys may need a wide receiver; there are wide receivers.
Where is the draft lacking? Offensive linemen. Perfect: the Cowboys are good on the offensive line. We’re talking Kowboy Karma. Jerry Jones’ time may have come ’round again 25 years later.
Jones reaped the benefit from 2015’s 4-12 disaster with Ezekiel Elliott at the No. 4 pick, and then stumbled upon the Cowboys’ quarterback of the future, Dak Prescott, in the No. 4 round after a 13-3 season. And still the Cowboys could make out like bandits in the draft.
Here’s a roundup of some of the top recent mocks:
ESPN’s Todd McShay, Alabama linebacker Tim Williams in his 2.0 mock.
McShay’s commentary stings, somewhat:
“Williams’ 2015 tape was better than his 2016 tape. He also added a misdemeanor gun charge to his record. The Cowboys have shown they’re not afraid to take chances on talented prospects with character baggage. And make no mistake: Williams is talented, with 19.5 sacks the past two seasons. He shows excellent first-step quickness and explosive power.”
The Cowboys evidently are the Last Chance U of the NFL. Sometimes this works (Dez Bryant); sometimes this doesn’t (fill in with variety of players).
McShay, by the way, lists two North Texas high school products, LSU safety Jamal Adams of Lewisville Hebron and Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas of Coppell, as Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, on his list of Top 32 draft prospectst published Tuesday.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke had the Cowboys taking Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton in his 6.0 draft version.
“Even on his worst days, Charlton is a good bet to disrupt a pass play or two simply by unleashing his speed off the edge. The way he closed his college career hinted at the possibility that he could become borderline unblockable.”
And Tim Williams? He goes for Burke at No. 11, to the New Orleans Saints.
Sporting News graced the Cowboys with Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson at No. 28. Wilson went at No. 13 in SI.com’s draft and 31 in McShay’s.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, in his Mock 2, sends Missouri defensive end Charles Harris to the Cowboys:
“The Cowboys need help on third down; Harris is a very skilled pass rusher.”
Taco Charlton goes No. 16 for Jeremiah; Wilson goes 11. For Burke, Harris falls to 38th overall, in the second round.
NFL.com’s Charley Casserly tabs Wilson as his Cowboys pick but has a caveat in the deep defensive draft:
“I could see the Cowboys trading out of this spot to the second round.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein goes pass rush, assigning Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett to Dallas:
“Dallas has taken shots at finding upper-echelon talent on the edge, but has missed for the most part. Barnett isn’t as twitched-up as Randy Gregory, but he’s strong, productive and consistent.”
Read more here: Cowboys can hit it big with No. 28 draft pick | The Star-Telegram
vlangford@star-telegram.com
The Dallas Cowboys have done well in recent NFL Drafts, and the 2017 draft shapes up as a good opportunity to fill their expected needs.
The opportunity is there, even though the Cowboys drop from No. 4 in 2016 to No. 28 in 2017.
The Cowboys need defensive backs; there are plenty of good defensive backs, and, Pro Football Focus says, maybe the best safety class in years. The Cowboys may need a wide receiver; there are wide receivers.
Where is the draft lacking? Offensive linemen. Perfect: the Cowboys are good on the offensive line. We’re talking Kowboy Karma. Jerry Jones’ time may have come ’round again 25 years later.
Jones reaped the benefit from 2015’s 4-12 disaster with Ezekiel Elliott at the No. 4 pick, and then stumbled upon the Cowboys’ quarterback of the future, Dak Prescott, in the No. 4 round after a 13-3 season. And still the Cowboys could make out like bandits in the draft.
Here’s a roundup of some of the top recent mocks:
ESPN’s Todd McShay, Alabama linebacker Tim Williams in his 2.0 mock.
McShay’s commentary stings, somewhat:
“Williams’ 2015 tape was better than his 2016 tape. He also added a misdemeanor gun charge to his record. The Cowboys have shown they’re not afraid to take chances on talented prospects with character baggage. And make no mistake: Williams is talented, with 19.5 sacks the past two seasons. He shows excellent first-step quickness and explosive power.”
The Cowboys evidently are the Last Chance U of the NFL. Sometimes this works (Dez Bryant); sometimes this doesn’t (fill in with variety of players).
McShay, by the way, lists two North Texas high school products, LSU safety Jamal Adams of Lewisville Hebron and Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas of Coppell, as Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, on his list of Top 32 draft prospectst published Tuesday.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke had the Cowboys taking Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton in his 6.0 draft version.
“Even on his worst days, Charlton is a good bet to disrupt a pass play or two simply by unleashing his speed off the edge. The way he closed his college career hinted at the possibility that he could become borderline unblockable.”
And Tim Williams? He goes for Burke at No. 11, to the New Orleans Saints.
Sporting News graced the Cowboys with Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson at No. 28. Wilson went at No. 13 in SI.com’s draft and 31 in McShay’s.
NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, in his Mock 2, sends Missouri defensive end Charles Harris to the Cowboys:
“The Cowboys need help on third down; Harris is a very skilled pass rusher.”
Taco Charlton goes No. 16 for Jeremiah; Wilson goes 11. For Burke, Harris falls to 38th overall, in the second round.
NFL.com’s Charley Casserly tabs Wilson as his Cowboys pick but has a caveat in the deep defensive draft:
“I could see the Cowboys trading out of this spot to the second round.”
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein goes pass rush, assigning Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett to Dallas:
“Dallas has taken shots at finding upper-echelon talent on the edge, but has missed for the most part. Barnett isn’t as twitched-up as Randy Gregory, but he’s strong, productive and consistent.”
Read more here: Cowboys can hit it big with No. 28 draft pick | The Star-Telegram