It's an annual occurrence, as sure as the leaves coming back, catchers and pitchers reporting to spring training, and Brett Favre blowing another playoff game.
It's the Mock Draft.
Love 'em or hate 'em, we just can't resist them. We know they mean absolutely nothing, and that the guys making the mocks have about as much insight into who the Cowboys will draft as we do. Still, once the season is over - we like free-agency, but we love the draft.
So without further ado, let's take a spin around the Cowboys mock draft world.
Yesterday, Aaron gave us a few, I'll repeat them here.
Scott Wright of Draft Countdown
MIKE IUPATI, OL, IDAHO
At first glance the Cowboys don’t appear to have any major, glaring holes on their depth chart. This is especially true after the emergence of Miles Austin at wide receiver. However, the appalling performance of their offensive line in a playoff loss to Minnesota had to have been a wake up call. Sure they recently gave both Flozell Adams and Marc Colombo sizeable new contracts but can they really afford to risk a repeat of the Vikings six sack free-for-all in another big game? Idaho’s Mike Iupati is exactly the type of big, tough, physical blocker that Dallas looks for. A mountain of a man at 6-6 and 330 pounds, Iupati is a mauler in the run game but also pretty athletic and still has considerable upside. With the ability to play either guard or tackle at the next level Iupati would certainly be able to find a home and provide an upgrade somewhere along the Cowboy’s offensive line.
Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa - Flozell Adams' declining skills make it necessary for Jerry Jones to find a replacement at left tackle.
Some others:
Mock 1 - Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland
Mock 2 - Earl Thomas, S, Texas
Bruce Campbell*, OT, Maryland Jerry Jones knows he needs to address the tackle position after the debacle he witnessed against Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs, and Campbell, while still learning, is a tremendous talent at this position.
Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland - At 6' 6" 312 pounds he is the prototypical left tackle in the NFL with superior athletic ability.
Charles Brown, OT, USC - Brown may not bring the size of other Cowboy lineman, but he has the talent and toughness to be the answer at left tackle for a long time.
Mike Iupati, G, Idaho - Mike Iupati makes too much sense here. He's the type of mauling offensive lineman Dallas loves to have up front. The Cowboys need help at the position. It's a perfect match, and I found it highly amusing that the Dallas Morning News reported that the entire Cowboys coaching staff "perked up" when Iupati's name was announced for the Senior Bowl Weigh-Ins.
Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma - After the Saints game, I bet Tony Romo is pleading with Jerry Jones for some more offensive line help. Left tackle Flozell Adams is near a great career at 34 years old, while Marc Colombo isn’t much younger at 31 years old. Trent Williams’ stock drops this far mostly for two reasons: he may only be able to play right tackle, and he is an Oklahoma lineman. Both Phil Loadholt and Duke Robinson had high draft grades at this time and fell to the 2nd and 5th round respectively.
LB- Navarro Bowman- PSU - Keith Brooking is aging and Bowman could be a nice replacement. The Cowboys have need at left tackle and safety but there isn’t anyone worthy of this pick available.
A few non-draft notes:
It appears Dat Nguyen is leaving the Cowboys. That's too bad, I always liked Dat and thought Bill Parcells' description of him as a 'football playin' dude' was perfect.
Hat tip to jam0152 for his FanPost.
This was a nice line from the DMN:
Wide receiver Roy Williams made one significant contribution to the Dallas Cowboys’ offense this season. By missing the Kansas City game because of bruised ribs, Williams opened the way for Miles Austin to get into the rotation at receiver.
Also, I try to fix the Pro Bowl, here.