Feb 27, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Dont

Each fan enters the draft with their own perceptions of what their team needs and Cowboys fans are no different. You could probably poll 10 different Cowboys fans and get 10 different players that they want to get drafted for the Cowboys at 18. The needs for the Cowboys even before any of the current roster is cut to save cap room are offensive lineman, defensive tackle, safety and wide receiver. At each position there are various players that the Cowboys could look at with the 18th overall pick in the Draft. As far as evaluating talent, most people like to talk and discuss the first round, because it grabs the most attention, but the Combine is more about the other six rounds and separating the talent and finding gems in the later rounds. The Combine will be used for three reasons for the draft personnel. The performance of a player at the Combine will either affirm the assessment of players, both good and bad, it can completely nullify any preconceived notion about a player based on their previous assessment, or it will shock and awe the scouts and cause them to re-evaluate a player and re-focus on game tape and reasons to draft or not draft a player.

Entering the 2013 NFL Combine there are 5 major stories that every Cowboys fan and fan of the NFL should be watching. This post will discuss those stories and give an idea of what to look at when watching the coverage of the Combine this weekend, and reviewing the scores and performances of the players.

Wes Bunting has also stated he’s hearing Smith will make a top ten push after his Pro Day.  ”Hearing that once USC OT Tyron Smith works out for NFL teams, teams would be shocked if he feel outside the top – 10…Redskins? Cowboys?” Bunting wrote on his Twitter account.

Smith is a very athletic tackle who used to play tight end, a la Rayfield Wright. Could he be the answer for the Cowboys pains at offensive tackle?

Outside of being a very raw prospect, the big concern for Smith was his weight. He put any of those concerns to rest at the NFL Scouting Combine when he weighed in at 307 pounds. Smith also registered some incredible measurables at the combine, such as his 36-3/8″ arms and 11″ hands. Smith has the physical tools to be a dominant tackle at the next level, so it would make perfect sense for Dallas to use the number nine pick on him.

Is the interest in Smith just smoke or do you believe he could be the guy the Dallas staff has their eyes on?

The Dallas Cowboys have already been a part of the “Cam Newton Show” during the NFL Scouting Combine as they conducted a 15-minute interview with him yesterday. Newton has been a lightning rod for controversy this past year, but that didn’t stop the Cowboys from sitting down with him. Newton isn’t the only controversial quarterback that Dallas plans on talking to this week.

According to reports, Cowboys officials have said that the team plans on talking with Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett. Mallett has the strongest arm in this year’s draft, but he has seen his stock plummet do to severe character concerns and rumors of heavy drug use.

During passing drills at the combine, Mallett showcased his cannon arm and made some beautiful throws all over the field. All the while, Cam Newton failed to entertain and put up an iconic stink job of a performance. Newton was all over the place with his deep balls and again failed to take the blame. Instead of owning up to his poor outing, he blamed the slower, small school receivers. The funniest part is, the “slow, small school receivers” put up the fastest times among receivers.
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