Mocking The Dallas Cowboys’ Mock Drafts; Please Draft Responsibly
By Tyrone Starr
Here we are, right in the middle of the lull between the end of the NFL Scouting Combine and the beginning of free agency. Apparently, the best use of that down time is the process of the Mock Draft for the Dallas Cowboys.
Literally, almost everyone does some kind of Mock Draft.
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If there is a football website, a blog or even just a couple of guys, knocking back a few in a bar with a pen and a napkin, you can bet that someone is already at least on version two of their own Mock Draft.
The Landry Hat did one three days ago. It wasn’t horrible. There were certainly a couple of picks that would never happen though… like ever.
University of Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton probably would not slip out of the top ten if he broke his leg and Connecticut cornerback Byron Jones isn’t seeing the first round from any different perspective than you or I are but it was decent.
As for the Cowboys, the mock had University of Oregon DE Arik Armstead falling all the way down to 27. Let’s just say that if he’s available at that spot, Jerry Jones may actually draft himself based on his own 40 time getting the card into Commissioner Roger Goodell.
The consensus, if you can have such a thing, seems to come from the triad of SBNation as well ESPN’s Todd McShay and NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks. They all have the Cowboys going after Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.
I get it. Last year’s Offensive Player of the Year, running back DeMarco Murray may not be back with the team. Gordon is a really good back. Just add water.
Here’s the thing though. If the running back position is so devalued, that a team that was a garbage interpretation of a bad rule away from the NFC Championship lets the franchise’s all-time single season leader in rushing yards walk for nothing, why would they use a first round pick on that same position?
Then there’s the fact that McShay has the Cowboys passing on not one, but two stud interior defensive linemen (Eddie Goldman and Jordan Phillips) to take Gordon. Brooks has them passing on both Armstead and Phillips and SBNation has them passing on defensive ends Bud Dupree and Eli Harold, as well as Phillips.
Not gonna happen.
The Bleacher Report has the Cowboys doing exactly what I said they should not by drafting P.J. Williams, the corner back from Florida State in round one.
This defies logic for a multitude of reasons.
For one, almost no one projects him to go in the first round. Reaching for a corner back on day one is the perfect recipe for an entire disaster of a draft.
For another, they have the Cowboys doing so and forgoing the opportunity to draft both Goldman and Armstead, not to mention Harold, Phillips and another defensive tackle in Texas product Malcolm Brown.
CBS Sports and another outfit, Draftek, both have the Cowboys at least addressing the defensive line with their late first round pick, going with UCLA defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa.
This would not be the worst idea ever given he had a ridiculous combine, however it is still a reach as Odighizuwa will likely be available when the Cowboys pick in round two. There is also the same issue regarding the types of guys that both sites have Dallas not picking which is annoying.
Of all of the mock drafts out there, the one I found which probably makes the most sense comes from a site called WalterFootball.com. In their mock, they have the Cowboys selecting Virginia defensive end Eli Harold.
When you peruse their entire first round mock, it’s actually quite believable. Sure, they have the Texans taking running back Todd Gurley which is almost certainly not going to happen but it’s also highly likely that some team will do something crazy.
At the end of the day, it’s anyone’s best guess. Your mock and my mock will likely look different and not every team drafts for need. On the other hand, it would be a huge mistake for the Cowboys to neglect the deepest position in the draft when it coincides with one of their weakest.
Please mock responsibly.