The names of Cowboys pre-draft invitees is trickling out, with Todd Archer serving up ten of the 30 each team is allowed in this piece.
Here we have clear evidence of teams hiding prospects in plain sight. Not all of the players who show up are serious prospects, though most are. I'd say, based on past experience, that 80% to 90% of these guys are real players of interest.
Conversely, this list is not comprehensive. The Cowboys may love a handful of players who won't be invited. They're drafted guys in the first round who did not attend their meet-and-greets. Note, for instance, that not a single offensive tackle is on the invitees list, at least not on this partial one. We know Dallas will work out Vlad Ducasse, and I fully expect to see more OTs in the coming days.
Here, however, is the clearest chance to build a preliminary board, no matter how meager it may be. The ten names here are spread out through the early rounds. Let's slot them:
| 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round & Later Rounds |
|
-- Dez Bryant, WR,Ok. St. - Mike Iuputi, G, Idaho - Jared Odrick, DE, Penn St. |
-- Morgan Burnett, FS, Georgia Tech -- Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU |
-- Brandon Ghee, CB Wake Forest -- Novarro Bowman, LB, Penn St. |
-- Sean Lee, ILB, Penn St. -- Taylor Price, WR, Ohio -- John Conner, FB, Kentucky
|
Positions are relative, especially after we leave the 1st. I think it's safe to say Bryant, Iuputi and Odrick have 1st round grades. What about Burnett? High 2nd, or low? A candidate if Dallas trades down from 27 or one for 59? Ditto for LaFell.
With Dallas picking so low in the 2nd, are Ghee and Bowman solid 3rd round grades or guys Dallas considers at 59? Is Price a guy who sneaks into the 3rd round thinking? And so on, and so on.
Update. Here's more on Price's visit.
Update II: Add CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah to the visitor list.