Latest Mel Kiper, Don Banks Mock Drafts Have Amukamara To The Cowboys. Again.

With exactly seven weeks to go to the draft, there is something in the air tonight. Can you smell it? It's the smell of hairspray wafting through cyberspace. Renowned hairspray aficionado Mel Kiper released his latest 2011 NFL Mock Draft yesterday. For the third time in a row, Kiper projects Prince Amukamara to the Cowboys.

Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska: This is a pick I've stuck with through the first two mocks. Again, because the mock draft can't account for draft board trades -- the Cowboys could certainly deal down the board, particularly if they target the offensive line -- Dallas could do a lot worse than to grab the best pure technician at the corner position. Amukamara should transition quickly, has shown the requisite speed for a top ten pick at the position and has a really solid frame at 206 pounds. Any whispers that this guy could project better at safety are unfounded. He's a potential Pro Bowl corner.

And Mel Kiper is not the only one projecting Amukamara to the Cowboys. More after the break...

Don Banks from SI.com also released his third 2011 mock yesterday, and he is also a repeat offender, projecting Amukamara to the Cowboys for the second straight time.

Amukamara needed to run well in Indy to lock down his spot in the top 10, and he did, averaging about 4.4 in his two combine 40s. The Cowboys are desperate for upgrades in a secondary that played like a weak link all last season, and the Nebraska cornerback seems entrenched as the draft's No. 2 rated cover man.

In fact, mocking Amukamara to the Cowboys seems to have become the default option for many mock drafts, so much so that the DMN led with a story on Tuesday titled "Mock drafts unanimously predict Cowboys select Prince Amukamara."

In principle, I have no issue with the Cowboys picking Amukamara. He's a fine corner who would certainly improve the Dallas secondary. But what makes me sit up and take notice is when everyone and their uncle suddenly has the same pick in their mocks in a manner that is dangerously close to groupthink. How come all these mockers can't agree on who the top three picks are going to be - much less the top eight - but are all so certain about who the Cowboys will pick in the ninth spot?

What's particularly baffling about both mocks is that they both have the Cowboys picking Amukamara over J.J. Watt (Kiper: Texans, Banks: Patriots), Robert Quinn (Vikings, Texans), Tyron Smith (Lions, Lions) and Cameron Jordan (Chargers!, Jaguars!). Which of these players would you pick?