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Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Todd McShay’s mock drafts have expanded from first-round-only to three rounds from the ESPN Insider.
McShay has been consistent with his first-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys, going with a defensive player each time. Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson was the pick at No. 28 this time. In his first four mock drafts, McShay went with pass rushers: Solomon Thomas, Tim Williams and Taco Charlton twice.
Given the depth of the draft, the Cowboys’ needs -- sorry if I’m shocking anybody by mentioning the idea of drafting for need -- and who McShay had available at No. 28, I can’t see the Cowboys going with Wilson, who did not time well in the 40. Not with pass-rushers Charles Harris, T.J. Watt and Charlton going at Nos. 29-31.
Harris, Watt and Charlton are on the Cowboys’ top-30 visitor list, which has been a solid predictor of the team’s intentions over the years. Since 2004, only DeMarcus Ware (2005) and Morris Claiborne (2012) were selected by the Cowboys with their top pick after not having visited the club before the draft.
To be fair to McShay, this mock was done with him serving as the Cowboys' general manager. It was not designed to indicate what the Cowboys will do. It was designed to indicate what, in McShay's opinion, the Cowboys should do. Still, with cornerback the deepest position in the draft, I think the Cowboys would pass on Wilson and take a defensive end at No. 28.
What intrigued me more in McShay’s mock, however, was the selection of Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round. Texas A&M safety Justin Evans was his third-round pick.
The Cowboys have a history of taking tight ends in the second round. They did it in 2006 with Anthony Fasano, 2008 with Martellus Bennett and 2013 with Gavin Escobar. For a variety of reasons, it did not work out well enough with any of them. Blame a coaching change for the Fasano trade. Blame the inability of the coaching staffs to find roles for Bennett and Escobar. But don’t let the players escape blame for their lack of production, either.
Shaheen is an interesting prospect. He is big (277 pounds). He can run. He was productive (57 catches, 16 touchdowns in 2016). But it all came at the Division 2 level. Is there some Akwasi Owusu-Ansah in his game? Owusu-Ansah dominated his level of competition so much that the Cowboys took the safety in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He played cornerback. He played safety. He even played wide receiver. He was released the following year.
The small-school question is not my biggest issue with this pick. I understand Jason Witten turns 35 next month and he can’t play forever. At least we don’t think he can play forever. But the Cowboys will have James Hanna, a quality No. 2 tight end, on the field in 2017 after he did not play last season because of a knee injury. Geoff Swaim had solid moments last season as Hanna’s replacement before tearing a pectoral tendon that required surgery. He is not recovering from foot surgery.
Then there’s Rico Gathers. The Cowboys used a sixth-round pick on him last year after seeing him play four years of basketball at Baylor. He had not played football since junior high, and he remains a mystery of sorts. Athletically, he is gifted, and word has it he did a nice job on the scout team with Tony Romo as the quarterback.
While Jason Garrett said Gathers has come many miles in his development, he still has many more to go.
But Gathers’ biggest fan might be owner and general manager Jerry Jones. He wants to see Gathers get a lot of work in the offseason, training camp and preseason to see if the Cowboys can tap into his athletic ability.
If they take a tight end in the second round, that would only slow Gathers’ development.
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Todd McShay’s mock drafts have expanded from first-round-only to three rounds from the ESPN Insider.
McShay has been consistent with his first-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys, going with a defensive player each time. Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson was the pick at No. 28 this time. In his first four mock drafts, McShay went with pass rushers: Solomon Thomas, Tim Williams and Taco Charlton twice.
Given the depth of the draft, the Cowboys’ needs -- sorry if I’m shocking anybody by mentioning the idea of drafting for need -- and who McShay had available at No. 28, I can’t see the Cowboys going with Wilson, who did not time well in the 40. Not with pass-rushers Charles Harris, T.J. Watt and Charlton going at Nos. 29-31.
Harris, Watt and Charlton are on the Cowboys’ top-30 visitor list, which has been a solid predictor of the team’s intentions over the years. Since 2004, only DeMarcus Ware (2005) and Morris Claiborne (2012) were selected by the Cowboys with their top pick after not having visited the club before the draft.
To be fair to McShay, this mock was done with him serving as the Cowboys' general manager. It was not designed to indicate what the Cowboys will do. It was designed to indicate what, in McShay's opinion, the Cowboys should do. Still, with cornerback the deepest position in the draft, I think the Cowboys would pass on Wilson and take a defensive end at No. 28.
What intrigued me more in McShay’s mock, however, was the selection of Ashland tight end Adam Shaheen in the second round. Texas A&M safety Justin Evans was his third-round pick.
The Cowboys have a history of taking tight ends in the second round. They did it in 2006 with Anthony Fasano, 2008 with Martellus Bennett and 2013 with Gavin Escobar. For a variety of reasons, it did not work out well enough with any of them. Blame a coaching change for the Fasano trade. Blame the inability of the coaching staffs to find roles for Bennett and Escobar. But don’t let the players escape blame for their lack of production, either.
Shaheen is an interesting prospect. He is big (277 pounds). He can run. He was productive (57 catches, 16 touchdowns in 2016). But it all came at the Division 2 level. Is there some Akwasi Owusu-Ansah in his game? Owusu-Ansah dominated his level of competition so much that the Cowboys took the safety in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. He played cornerback. He played safety. He even played wide receiver. He was released the following year.
The small-school question is not my biggest issue with this pick. I understand Jason Witten turns 35 next month and he can’t play forever. At least we don’t think he can play forever. But the Cowboys will have James Hanna, a quality No. 2 tight end, on the field in 2017 after he did not play last season because of a knee injury. Geoff Swaim had solid moments last season as Hanna’s replacement before tearing a pectoral tendon that required surgery. He is not recovering from foot surgery.
Then there’s Rico Gathers. The Cowboys used a sixth-round pick on him last year after seeing him play four years of basketball at Baylor. He had not played football since junior high, and he remains a mystery of sorts. Athletically, he is gifted, and word has it he did a nice job on the scout team with Tony Romo as the quarterback.
While Jason Garrett said Gathers has come many miles in his development, he still has many more to go.
But Gathers’ biggest fan might be owner and general manager Jerry Jones. He wants to see Gathers get a lot of work in the offseason, training camp and preseason to see if the Cowboys can tap into his athletic ability.
If they take a tight end in the second round, that would only slow Gathers’ development.
