FanPost

Factory Draft Board - Top 10

I have just been seeing a lot of the mock drafts and things now but we really don't know who will be available when we select at number nine, nor who will be available for a consideration for a trade up or what offers will be given for a trade down (although I am doubting that will be the scenario unless all of our guys are gone). So in the light of all of this I just wanted to give a go at a draft board at what I would see possibly for our Dallas Cowboys. These are the players that I believe the Cowboys will see the most value in from top to bottom. I will attempt to explain my selections and why I like them so much afterwards. So here it is, the ProBowlFactory Draft Board:

  1. Patrick Peterson - CB/S - LSU
  2. Von Miller - OLB - Texas A&M
  3. Marcel Dareus - DT - Alabama
  4. J.J. Watt - DE - Wisconsin
  5. Da'Quan Bowers - DE - Clemson
  6. A.J. Green - WR - Georgia
  7. Julio Jones - WR - Alabama
  8. Robert Quinn - DE/OLB - UNC
  9. Cameron Jordan - DE - California
  10. Prince Amukamara - CB - Nebraska

Patrick Peterson; CB/S, LSU - I think my case for this guy is very well known. I think he is the best player in the draft. He will slide a bit because of his position but that is the only reason why. He doesn't have off-field issues, has great ball skills (locates and can catch the ball), and is an incredible returner. A Corner with great ball skills and great return ability is the best kind too, because that means they can take a pick to the house. The guy has a great attitude as well and is the kind of guy you want to have on your team. However, it would take a miracle for this guy to slide to us @ #9. Most likely this would take a trade up, probably a 1st and 3rd for the Browns pick to jump the 49ers to get him.

Von Miller; OLB, Texas A&M - This guy has expressed his dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboy since he was just a little guy. I don't see him getting past Arizona though, so this most likely will not happen. However, pairing this guy opposite of Demarcus Ware would be quite a force. There was talk of sticking him at the ILB position and then you would have Miller, Lee, Spencer and Ware as your LB corps. I could see him as a ILB but would be more of a roamer, meaning that he jumps around and maybe jumps to OLB for some plays, Strong ILB for some and Weak side ILB for others. You could have lots of fun with this guy. The last guy we drafted in the first round was a huge Cowboys fan as well growing up, and Dez has panned out great so far.

Marcel Dareus; DT, Alabama - I am not big on drafting 3-4 D-linemen in the first round, unless it is late. This is mainly because these guys aren't typically the impact players in a 3-4 defense or where you really focus your talent except the nose. That is reserved more for outside linebackers. However, this guy is very diverse and you can place him anywhere. At 320 lbs he is closer to the prototypical 3-4 Nose size than Jay Ratliff but he could also play 3-4 defensive end with that size and with his incredible mobility and athleticism for his size as well. This makes him an excellent option, however I don't think he gets past Denver @ #2 overall.

J. J. Watt; DE, Wisconsin - Yet another Defensive lineman for a 3-4 defense. I am not a big fan of this idea, but I have become a big fan of this guy. I admit I used to raise eyebrows when I saw him on mock drafts before, but now I love the idea, but only if the previous three are off the board already. If there is a man with a motor in the draft, it is J. J. Watt. I just saw his "First Draft" Profile on NFL Network today and oh, man I love what he says there:

"I love going into the stadium on gameday, knowing that it is just me against you, and by the end of the day, it is my job to make you so tired and so beat up that you don't want to play against me anymore"

Not only that but the guy is a class act. He already has a charity that he will be bringing to whatever city drafts him. As a person you just have to love him. He's a guy you want to have in your locker room. He will definitely be a leader on the team. But can he play? Oh hell yes he can. The guy produces on the field too. If we do end up standing pat @ #9, this is the guy we will probably end up taking, and now, I am all for it.

Da'Quan Bowers; DE, Clemson - First question you have to ask is if this guy is able to play DE in a 3-4. He definitely has the size to be able to do it @ 280 lbs. He will probably gain a little in the NFL as well. We need run stuffers on the D-line in our scheme, but not only that, we need guys that can rush the QB as well. This guy can definitely do all of that. He could very well take some people away from Ware or Spencer depending on which side he would play. The only question is the one I asked earlier: Can he play the 5-technique?

A.J. Green; WR, Georgia - For goodness sakes, we don't need another receiver. However, getting younger at the position could be even better. How do you take another receiver though? Well, you try to drop one of your other players. Best option would probably be to trade Miles Austin to one of those teams that need a WR for a 1st round pick and potentially another one later on in the draft or a conditional pick in next years draft. Maybe the St. Louis Rams would be willing to Oblige? Then you have the #14 overall pick to select another player which you could use to take one of those tackles maybe? Anyway, enough speculating. A.J. Green is a physical freak of nature. This may not be the best option for us and would be highly controversial. However, paring him with Dez Bryant would set us up with potentially the best receiving corps for years to come.

Julio Jones; WR, Alabama - Pretty much all of the same stuff that I said above is reiterated here. I would say the Julio Jones is the more physical of the two and is not a guy you are going to get off the field. Jason Witten comes to mind in that regard as Witten plays with bruised/cracked ribs or whatever pain. He'll play through that. We saw Julio Jones light up the NFL Combine this year, and he did that with a broken foot. That is the exact same injury that kept Michael Crabtree off the field through the combine and his pro day a couple years back. Not only that but he played through the season with a broken hand... as a receiver.... and was still effective!!!! That is the kind of specimen you want on your team. He also knows how to block as well, which not many receivers truly do well.

Robert Quinn; DE/OLB, UNC - This guy has been compared to DeMarcus Ware for his pass rushing ability. Can you imagine a quarterback seeing doubles? Looks to his left and sees DeMarcus Ware salivating, hungry for some quarterback. Then he looks to his right and sees D-Ware 2.0 (Quinn) doing the same. This may allow us to trade Anthony Spencer down the road as well and getting more picks, while also getting slightly younger and maybe more talented. He doesn't merit a 1st round selection in return but something nonetheless. The whole tumor thing with him is a concern as is the question about him being a 1 year wonder since he is an underclassman and didn't play last year because of the suspension.

Cameron Jordan; DE, California - Another guy with a great motor that could contribute as a starter right away on the D-Line. He also knows how to get into the backfield and enjoys playing the 5-technique as well. We need D-linemen that can get into the backfield, especially to the QB. I just don't know if he has the value to be taken @ #9. This is a potential pick a little bit later should we happen to trade down with someone.

Prince Amukamara; CB, Nebraska - I like the guy and I think he is a better corner than most give him credit for. However, he is not known for having great ball skills. He tends to bat the ball down instead of catching it. We want picks. Granted he can learn that in the NFL but he doesn't seem to have the natural instinct to be able to locate the ball and catch it and get going the other way. That is the reason I have him so low on my board. I also think he is more worth a pick later on, probably in the teens somewhere. Don't think of him as a top 10 selection.

As a final note, I know some of you may seem furious that I don't have an OT in my top 10. Simply, i don't think any of them are worth at top 10 pick or even top 15 for that matter. We are set at Left Tackle with Doug Free so what we are looking for is a right tackle. I do not believe in taking a right tackle in the first round. Below, I have included a list of all of the starting RIGHT TACKLES in the NFL. You will find that hardly any of them were selected in the first round. And of the ones that were selected high, they were considered busts and thus moved to the right side, or were beaten out for the job by someone else and moved to the right side.

  • TEAM - 2010 STARTING RT - POSITION DRAFTED - ROUND (# OVERALL) - YEAR DRAFTED
  1. Arizona Cardinals - Jeremy Bridges - Guard - 6th - 2003
  2. Atlanta Falcons - Tyson Clabo - Guard - UDFA - 2004
  3. Baltimore Ravens - Chris Chester - Center - 2nd (#56) - 2006
  4. Buffalo Bills - Mansfield Wrotto - Guard - 4th - 2007
  5. Carolina Panthers - Garry Williams - Tackle - UDFA - 2009
  6. Chicago Bears - J'Marcus Webb - Tackle - 7th - 2010
  7. Cincinnati Bengals - Dennis Roland - Tackle - UDFA - 2006
  8. Cleveland Browns - John St. Clair - Tackle - 3rd - 2000
  9. Dallas Cowboys - Marc Colombo - Tackle - 1st (#29) - 2002
  10. Denver Broncos - Ryan Harris - Tackle - 3rd - 2007
  11. Detroit Lions - Corey Hilliard - Tackle - 6th - 2007
  12. Green Bay Packers - Brian Bulaga - Tackle - 1st (#23) - 2010
  13. Houston Texans - Eric Winston - Tackle - 3rd (#66) - 2006
  14. Indianapolis Colts - Ryan Diem - Tackle - 4th - 2001
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars - Jordan Black - Tackle - 5th - 2003
  16. Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan O'Callaghan - Tackle - 5th - 2006
  17. Miami Dolphins - Lydon Murtha - Tackle - 7th - 2009
  18. Minnesota Vikings - Phil Loadholt - Tackle - 2nd (#54) - 2009
  19. New England Patriots - Sebastian Vollmer - Tackle - 2nd (#58) - 2009
  20. New Orleans Saints - Jon Stinchcomb - Tackle - 2nd (#37) - 2003
  21. New York Giants - Kareem McKenzie - Tackle - 3rd - 2001
  22. New York Jets - Wayne Hunter - Tackle - 3rd - 2003
  23. Oakland Raiders - Langston Walker - Tackle - 2nd (#53) - 2002
  24. Philadelphia Eagles - Winston Justice - Tackle - 2nd (#39) - 2006
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers - Flozell Adams - (Left) Tackle - 2nd (#38) - 1998
  26. San Diego Chargers - Jeromey Clary - Tackle - 6th - 2006
  27. San Francisco 49ers - Anthony Davis - (Left) Tackle - 1st (#11) - 2010
  28. Seattle Seahawks - Sean Locklear - Tackle - 3rd - 2004
  29. St. Louis Rams - Jason Smith - (Left) Tackle - 1st (#2) - 2009
  30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - James Lee - Guard - UDFA - 2008
  31. Tennessee Titans - David Stewart - Tackle - 4th - 2005
  32. Washington Redskins - Jammal Brown - (Left) Tackle - 1st (13) - 2005

Well, there you have it. There are all of the starters at RIGHT TACKLE for each team last year. As you will notice, only six of the players listed were taken in the first round. And of those taken in the first round, only two of them were drafted to be RIGHT tackles for their teams (Marc Colombo & Brian Bulaga). The rest were drafted as Left Tackles and either didn't pan out and were moved to the right side, or started at left tackle but are now playing right tackle (i.e. Washington's Jammal Brown). Some of these starters aren't even listed as tackles but were drafted as guards, and one was even drafted as a center (Baltimore). I am not in support of an OT with our first pick. I think we should wait until the second round to get a Right Tackle. A guy that would be great for that I think would be TCU's Marcus Cannon. You can either choose to plug him in at Guard right away, or let him be a backup tackle and work into the role, just like Free did. I think it is worth mentioning too that Michael Oher (Ravens LT) played the Right Side his rookie year but has now moved to the Left side.

Well, that is my list, I would like to hear your thoughts as I bet the rest of the BTB nation would like to as well so have at it.

Another user-created commentary provided by a BTB reader.