Mocking The Cowboys Draft: The Rise Of The Linemen

Another week is almost over and we have got another edition of freshly mocked drafts to peruse.

The highlight of this week's mock draft roundup is the magical disappearance of Prince Amukamara from the ninth spot on almost all mock drafts. Perhaps Jerry's comments from the Senior Bowl practices scared the mockers away, but it's more likely that Prince has simply moved up the rankings, just out of the Cowboys' reach.

Even Mel Kiper is finding it difficult to let Amukamara slide all the way to the ninth spot:

"I can't see (Amukamara) getting past Dallas. Now, surprises happen every draft, and you never say never, but right now, I had a tough time getting him down to Dallas," Kiper said. "I didn't even feel great about pushing him down to Dallas. I thought about even giving him to a couple teams earlier. San Francisco (at No. 7) could go corner, maybe somebody could trade up and get him."

As a result, this week sees an influx of both both offensive and defensive linemen as the Cowboys' first pick.

Walter Football, 1/27/2011: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

First of all, Jones has to make sure that his biggest investment, Tony Romo, is protected. Dallas lost all hope when Romo was knocked out for the year against the Giants. Marc Colombo is a sieve at right tackle, so Dallas must find an upgrade at the position to keep Romo healthy.

And second, according to Mike Mayock, Nate Solder is drawing comparisons to Tony Boselli. Solder weighed in at 6-8, 315 pounds at the Senior Bowl, and he could easily tack on 20 more pounds to his frame. Mayock believes Solder will be a top-15 pick.

Drafttek.com, 1/25/2011: Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi State.

Do I think Cuzzin Jerruh will invest a 1st round choice on an offensive lineman? No -- do I think he should? Absolutely! Any viewer that watched the Cowboys play this season could see the OL deficiencies and even with Romo's escapability, he suffered a season-ending injury. Sherrod can play either bookend and the interchangeability between he and Doug Free will be valuable on game-day inactive decisions. Injuries do play a part in the NFL game, as the Cowboys learned all too well this season.

Sportsagentblog.com, 1/25/2011: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

Nate Solder is the top offensive tackle in the draft…enough said. Without Flozell Adams, the Cowboys offense has struggled at times. Although defense was a huge problem in Dallas in 2010, they were suffering from a lot of injuries and should bounce back in 2011.

NEpatriotsdraft.com: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

Solder is a mammoth lineman that has all the potential in the world. He would solidify a Cowboys line that hasn’t been up to snuff lately. Cornerbacks and defensive linemen are also options here.

SI.com (Don Banks), 1/27/2011: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama

Cornerback makes the top of the need list in Dallas, but the two top 10 prospects are already gone. Dareus would offer great value at No. 9, and he's a proven talent who thrived in Nick Saban's 3-4 defense at Alabama. He'd likely play at end in the NFL, and his knack for penetrating and making things happen in the backfield would no doubt help the Cowboys' pass defense by increasing the pass pressure up front.

CBSSports.com (Chad Reuter), 1/24/2011: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama

If Dallas doesn't consider any of the offensive tackle prospects worthy of this selection, then they go with the best player on the board in Dareus.

CBSsports.com (Rob Rang), 1/24/2011: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

Excluding outside linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer (college defensive ends) the Cowboys spent one first-round pick this decade on the big men up front (DE Marcus Spears, 2005). Dallas could use a highly rated offensive tackle here, but with no OT worthy of this pick, they shift to the defensive side of the ball or trade down. Clayborn's production dropped this season, but not his value in the eyes of scouts, who view him as the top senior defensive lineman (and among the safer prospects) in the draft.

The Football Expert (Brian Cox), 1/25/2011: Cameron Jordan, DE/DT, California

I am not a 'look at this crazy pick!' kind of guy, so this is a dead serious projection. Last year no one (including me even though I was quite familiar with him) expected Tyson Alualu to be a top 10 pick and that turned out pretty well. His teammate already has more draft momentum and would not be as surprising in this spot. Anyone who has watched a Cal game can see how disruptive Jordan is. Maybe the Cowboys grab another corner, but I prefer them addressing the problem on the front end.

SB Nation (Brian Galliford), 1/24/2011: Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M.

Dallas desperately needs to address its secondary, but may need to trade up if it wants a top-flight corner. Miller would add speed to their front seven; the idea of blocking up Miller and DeMarcus Ware on the same down is quite formidable.

Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft overview (min. two rounds deep)