How You Can Be the Dallas Cowboys GM on Draft Day
Nov 16, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Baylor Bears guard Cyril Richardson (68) blocks on the line of scrimmage during the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium. Baylor beat Texas Tech 63-34. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The first round of the NFL draft is tomorrow and all of the speculation and assumptions can finally end. I have grown tired by the endless Facebook posts and news articles about Johnny Manziel and his chances of being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. After tomorrow, there will be thousands of you crying – “How come we didn’t draft Manziel?” Would you believe there have been pre-draft sales of custom Manziel jerseys?
I have been acknowledging that I am not an expert on college players. That’s why I have been avoiding posting or doing a mock draft article. Unfortunately, the orders have come down the ladder. So, if it’s unusually cold in your area, it’s because I did a mock draft and hell has officially frozen over. I must admit that I learned a few things by doing a mock draft. This is how you can be the Dallas Cowboys GM on Draft Day.
The mock draft emphasized how little I know about college players. This is before the mock draft simulator went into the later rounds. I was clueless if a guy played on the left or right side. I just used their rankings and tried to select the best players at positions of need. So, just laugh if you realize I draft two right defensive ends or a left tackle instead of a right tackle.
I followed a few guidelines with my mock drafts to be as realistic as possible. We know that everything Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys do on draft day will get heavily criticized. So, I made sure I didn’t reach for a player. For example, with the 47th pick, I made sure I didn’t select a player ranked in the 90’s.
My second drafting guideline involved the quality of the college program. The “Big Board” of player rankings were ignored when colleges were considered. A player from the University of Wisconsin, for example, was selected before a player from the Castleton Spartans (no offense Spartans). Hopefully all of the players I drafted are NFL ready and able to contribute.
I also learned that these mock draft are wildly inconsistent, even when done back to back. In a few mock drafts, I hate revealing this, but sometimes Johnny Manziel was available at the 16th pick. I tried to think about Marinelli’s philosophy about not drafting a defensive lineman that only plays one technique. Of course, I don’t know enough about these guys to identify if they can play multiple techniques. I’m just being honest.
The simulator I used didn’t have any trades. Realistically, trades are going to happen tomorrow night. Again, don’t print my draft results out and send me angry emails if it’s not accurate. There are a few players I’ve never seen, like Kevin Norwood or Kerry Hyder. My theory is – How bad can they be if they made the rosters at Alabama and Texas Tech?
Finally, I learned that mock draft simulators are fun. If you haven’t done one, I suggest trying it and posting your results in the comments. Also, share the guidelines that you used while making your picks.
Click here to do your own mock draft
Here are my results! How did I do?
| Walter Football | Big Board | Fanspeak |
| OLB – Anthony Barr – UCLA | Round 1 – 16th | DE – Kony Ealy – Missouri |
| DE – Stephon Tuitt – Notre Dame | Round 2 – 47th | G – Cyril Richardson – Baylor |
| S – Deone Bucannon – Washington State | Round 3 – 78th | OT – Cameron Fleming – Stanford |
| DT – Will Sutton – Arizona State | Round 4 – 119th | DT – Ego Ferguson – LSU |
| WR – Josh Huff – Oregon | Round 5 – 158th | RB – De’Anthony Thomas – Oregon |
| DE – Jeoffrey Pagan – Alabama | Round 7 – 229th | WR – Kevin Norwood – Alabama |
| RB – George Atkinson – Notre Dame | Round 7 – 231st | S – Dezmen Southward – Wisconsin |
| OT – Justin Britt – Missouri | Round 7 – 238th | CB – Carrington Byndom – Texas |
| QB – Conner Shaw – South Carolina | Round 7 – 248th | DT – Kerry Hyder – Texas Tech |
| DT – Kerry Hyder – Texas Tech | Round 7 – 251st | DE – Chaz Sutton – South Carolina |
| CB – Carrington Byndom – Texas | Round 7 – 254th | QB – Tajh Boyd – Clemson |