Which CB Should the Dallas Cowboys Select in the 1st Round of the 2012 NFL Draft?
Johnathan Barger: Good question, since this is a very real possibility come April. Taking a look at the holes that we will have in the secondary after releases and Free Agency begins, we will more than likely be without starting CB Terrence Newman, and Abe Elam might not be invited back. So either CB or SS could fit the bill. I like Janoris Jenkins ( CB out of Northern Alabama, formerly from Florida) because he is a physical CB that isn’t afraid to mix it up. Downside is his size. I would much rather take Dre Kirkpatrick (CB out of Alabama) because of his sheer size. The same goes with Mark Barron (Safety out of Alabama). Now if you are looking at it from Jason Garrett’s (Dallas Cowboys Head Coach) view about drafting the ‘Right Kind of Guy’, then I would put my money on Barron because he has not had any trouble with the law (Jenkins had several drug related incidents that lead to him getting booted out of Florida, and Kirkpatrick just recently was dismissed on minor drug possession charges) and he is very active in his community
Greyson Jones: If I had to take one, I guess it would be Kirkpatrick, if only for the height and the possibility of moving him over to FS in a pinch.
Seth Jones:Alfonzo Dennard. He’s very talented and he has something to prove. Beware of over-rated SEC picks.
C. Joseph Wright: Well, I definitely would not select Janoris Jenkins. He is too short and too small to justify taking at 14. If I pick at CB at 14, I expect that he can man up to the best WR’s in the league, if not as a rookie, then at least eventually. I doubt that Jenkins will ever thrive manned up on the likes of Cavin Johnson, Andre Johnson, or Brandon Marshall. The WR’s are getting bigger and bigger, the CB’s must follow suit.
I guess that leaves either Dre Kirkpatrick or Mark Barron. I don’t believe that Barron is enough of Troy Polamalu type playmaker to justify taking at 14.
I am not sure that Dre Kirkpatrick is even going to be available at 14, but I could very well end up taking him even if there was no need to take a CB.
Before I read Seth’s comments, this is what I wrote about Dre:
Dre has just about everything you want in a CB: he is big and tall (6’2” and over 190 lbs at 22 years of age). He has the toughness to play tight bump-and-run coverage, he is skilled enough to play man coverage against big and strong, he has good make-up speed when he is beat, he can out jump and out-muscle receivers when the ball is in the air, he is sure tackler, he plays well in run support, and he has the attitude needed to be an elite NFL CB – his teammates nick-named him “swag”.
Now, after reading Seth’s comments (who knows the college game much better than I do) I am a bit concerned that there is something I am missing. I need to look at some more film of Kirkpatrick and Alfonzo Dennard. I have already noticed that Mike Mayock has Dennard rated higher than Kirkpatrick.
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