Dallas Cowboys 2017 NFL Draft: Five Defensive End Prospects
By Ronald Smith
It’s is clear that the Dallas Cowboys need to find themselves a pass rusher. Here are five possible draft selections for the Cowboys at defensive end.
Today, and for the next several weeks, I’m going to be focusing on the NFL Draft. Particularly, as it relates to the Dallas Cowboys. It was the yearly intake of college prospects, and studying incoming players, that first got me interested in sports writing. It is something I very much enjoy. Although, as a fan of America’s Team, I’d rather be starting the second week of February…oh well.
I want to specify that for the most part, at least in the early going, I’d much rather focus on players likely to be available at or near the Cowboys’ picks. Don’t worry. At some point we will also discuss those highly-touted top-ten prospects. But familiarizing ourselves first with players that could possibly be on the board when Dallas is on the clock seems more sensible.
How Will it Work?
Each week I will focus on a different position group. I will do five college players for every post. For this exercise I will use the CBS rankings of draft eligible players. Furthermore, to study the future draftees, I will rely mostly on game tape from DraftBreakdown.
It should come as no surprise that I intend to start with defensive position groups for the first few articles. First, we’ll cover edge rushers. Most Cowboys fans are well aware that Dallas’ pass rush is abysmal, at best. So there is a big need in that area. Without further ado, here are the five defensive ends that I have chosen to cover, along with their CBS rankings:
26. Takkarist McKinley, OLB, UCLA
27. Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan
29. Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
36. Carl Lawson, DE, Auburn
49. DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
Now let’s breakdown each of these pass rushing prospects one-by-one…