Dallas Cowboys 2017 First Round Pick: My Best Guess

Less than 48 hours , we’ll know this answer. But for now, here is my best guess as to who the Dallas Cowboys will draft with the 28th pick.

For the Dallas Cowboys organization as well as fans across the globe, we are less than 48 hours from the NFL Draft.

There will no longer be a need for speculation and mock drafts. The real thing will be available for instant scrutiny and discussion.

Until that moment arrives however, we’re still in the process of guessing.

Most of us who spend countless hours obsessing about this pick think we have the guess work narrowed down.

The majority of the prognostications available have the Cowboys selecting a defensive player with the 28th overall selection.

Clearly, for a team that has finished in the top five in points scored three of the last four years, It makes sense. Besides, with only one major contributor on the “wrong side” of 30, the offense doesn’t need much remodeling.

As for that defense, though, it needs attention. The Cowboys have not been in the top ten in yards allowed all decade. Only once, have they finished in the top ten in points allowed.

So, who’s name is going to be called when the Cowboys time on the clock is up?

Let’s take a look at what some of the “experts” think first.

Over at ESPN, Todd McShay and Mel Kiper have Dallas selecting Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett. They have the Cowboys passing on cornerbacks such as Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey and Adoree Jackson from USC.

I’m not sure either Barnett or Humphrey will actually be there when it’s Dallas’ turn to pick. I don’t think either one is a bad choice. We’ll chalk this one up to personal preference and leave it at that.

At NFL.com, they have three different experts with three different choices. Former NFL general manager, Charley Casserly has the Cowboys choosing Washington cornerback Kevin King. Jackson gets a pass again, this time for another cornerback. Other names he let pass were edge rushers Haason Reddick from Temple, Michigan’s Taco Charlton and Wisconsin’s T.J. Watt.

Former NFL Scout Daniel Jeremiah actually has Dallas taking Jackson with that 28th pick. Watt, again, is left for someone else to choose. Also still on the board is another cornerback in Florida’s Quincy Wilson, Washington safety Budda Baker and Missouri edge rusher Charles Harris.

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Lastly, former NFL player Bucky Brooks likes Harris as the Cowboys selection. Jackson is once again still on the board along with three offensive players.

If you’re scoring at home, that’s two votes for a cornerback and two for an edge rusher.

Of these three mocks, they each have one massive flaw.

In Casserly’s case, there is no way Dallas would pass on Reddick. For Jeremiah, I don’t think Jackson is what the Cowboys are looking for at cornerback, even though I personally love him. With the Brooks mock, my problem is who he does not have as first rounders before Dallas drafts. Given the fact that he doesn’t have King, Humphrey or Watt in round one makes me skeptical of his attempts.

Unfortunately, their lead draft “guru,” Mike Mayock does not have an updated mock draft. He does have this to say, however, regarding the direction Dallas may go towards.

"Three names to watch for with Dallas at the No. 28 pick, although both could be gone by then, per Mayock, are pass rushers Charles Harris of Missouri, Takkarist McKinley of UCLA and T.J. Watt of Wisconsin. Harris is “picking up steam,” per Mayock, and there’s a good chance he won’t be available to the Cowboys so late in the first round.- Chase Goodbread via NFL.com"

McKinley seems to be a fan favorite, especially on social media but I’m not buying it. With a four-to-six month timetable for his surgery recovery, he would likely miss most of training camp. The organization has been clear that they can’t afford to “redshirt” any one this year, especially not the 28th pick. That leaves Harris and Watt.

Before I answer who I would choose if I was running this draft, I thought it would be fair to go through one final mock to see who would be available.

On my attempt, McKinley, Harris and Watt were all available. So to was King and Jackson along with a few other cornerbacks.

All of my previous mock drafts have had Dallas focusing on their secondary. This one will be no different. I just don’t believe that any of the available edge rushers can be that special guy who consistently gets double-digit sacks.

I do think, however that Dallas could find a special player at cornerback.

So, with the 28th pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select:

Kevin King, cornerback, from the University of Washington.

With eight interceptions in his junior year and 14 in his career, to go along with 33 pass breakups, King is the ballhawk this team has desperately been searching for quite some time. At 6’3″ he has the size the Dallas Cowboys covet. He also ran a sub 4.5-40.

Adding King automatically gives Dallas a number one cornerback to go along with Nolan Carroll and Orlando Scandrick. It also ensures that the Cowboys get a top flight player at a position of need instead of reaching out of hope and desperation.

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What would you do in the same situation? Leave your comments below.

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