Dallas Cowboys: Can Joey Bosa fill a position of need?
The question of whether Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa can fill a need for the Dallas Cowboys depends on how you view their current defensive line.
After the shocking trade by the Los Angeles Rams to move from the 15th pick for the first overall pick which belonged to the Tennessee Titans, the entire galaxy had to redo their NFL mock drafts. The Cowboys still sit pretty with the fourth pick (as I write this).
The majority of experts and members of Cowboy Nation finally realize that with the talent available in the draft, selecting a back-up quarterback with the fourth overall pick may not be the best idea. It also helps that it’s possible two quarterbacks will be unavailable by the time the Cowboys make their selection.
Recent mock drafts now predict that the Cowboys will select either running back Ezekiel Elliott or defensive end Joey Bosa, both from Ohio State. Last week, I famously predicted we’ll go offense, even though my heart would prefer defense. If the Cowboys don’t select Elliott or Bosa, there are college experts already predicting how deep next year’s draft will be at various positions.
Every year there seems to be the next big thing available in the NFL draft. This year it’s Elliott, last year it was running back Todd Gurley. In 2014, nobody selected a running back in the first round. The fourth selection in each of the last two years have been wide receivers – the Buffalo Bills selected Sammy Watkins in 2014 and the Oakland Raiders selected Amari Cooper in 2015.
This year the hot wide receiver is Laquan Treadwell – could he be the third receiver selected with the fourth pick? Critics compare him to Dez Bryant – as if having two Dez Bryant’s could be a bad thing.
The Joey Bosa supporters have argued that defensive end is a need. That’s a false truth. There are mandatory needs for every team – a left tackle, a cover corner, an edge rusher, a quarterback. Maybe not in this order and I would also add a tight end because that’s the quarterback’s best friend. The Cowboys could try to upgrade Doug Free‘s right tackle position with Laremy Tunsil.
It sounds crazy to even mention selecting Tunsil because we have four players with first round talent on our offensive line. Being first round worthy makes Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin memorable, but what about the other rounds?
How quickly have we forgotten about 2015 second round selection Randy Gregory and 2014 second round pick DeMarcus Lawrence? The Cowboys signed defensive ends Jack Crawford, Benson Mayowa and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton who also played defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Cowboys defensive line hasn’t been dominant, it’s not due to lack of effort by the front office. It hasn’t been a neglected position in the draft or free agency. If the Cowboys believe that Ryan Russell, our 2015 5th round defensive end, can contribute this year he could reduce Bosa’s draft value.
Remember the names of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s rush men – Tyrone Crawford, Jack Crawford, Lawrence, Gregory, Thornton, David Irving and Terrell McClain. I’m aware they haven’t become superstars and will always be overshadowed by our offensive line.
Can Joey Bosa fill a position of need? That depends if you feel that the defensive line is a position of need. If the Cowboys believe that the sum of the parts on the defensive line is better than the individuals – it might be Elliott’s name on that draft card instead of Bosa’s.
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