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The Cowboys are on the clock! Coming off a disappointing 6-10 season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finally relents and brings in some outside help to make an important draft selection. He has determined that BTB's esteemed head honcho Dave is the best man for the job. OK, not really. But Dave does have the Cowboys in our Mock Draft Exercise. For a look at the first eight picks, go here for 5-8, and go here for 1-4. This is a great part of the draft for Cowboys fans, as not only do we start it off, but a division rival, in-state rival and the team that knocked us into a tailspin (then followed) are all here as well.
We are all too familiar with our team's needs and positions of strength this off-season. We have upper echelon talent at quarterback and tight end, and an above average backfield on offense. We have a tackle on the roster very capable of playing the left side for years to come, and a passable left-guard/center combo. The right side of the line is a mess. We know what we have in our top two receivers, but not much confidence in the rest of the depth chart. The fullback/H-back role is subject to late round depth addition, but the staff is probably confident there.
On defense, we have a future hall of fame OLB, a Pro Bowl caliber NT and an ILB duo that has a steady contributor and a up and comer. We may have one hidden gem at DE, but need some upgrades there. The second OLB position can be upgraded, but it wouldn't be the worst situation to have to roll with what we have. The secondary has holes all over, and not a single player that inspires confidence in a majority of fans.
Let's take a look at Dave's pick for the Cowboys, and selections 10-12 as well.
| Draft Pick | Team | 2010 Record | Assigned Writer | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina | (2-14) | Dave | DT Nick Fairley, Auburn |
| 2 | Denver | (4-12) | O.C.C. | DE Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson |
| 3 | Buffalo | (4-12) | rabble | CB Patrick Peterson, LSU |
| 4 | Cincinatti | (4-12) | KD | DT Marcel Dareus, Alabama |
| 5 | Arizona | (5-11) | KD | QB Blaine Gabbert, Missouri |
| 6 | Cleveland | (5-11) | rabble | OLB Von Miller, Texas A&M |
| 7 | San Francisco | (6-10) | O.C.C. | OLB Robert Quinn, North Carolina |
| 8 | Tennesee | (6-10) | Dave | WR AJ Green, Georgia |
| 9 | Dallas | (6-10) | Dave | CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska |
| 10 | Washington | (6-10) | O.C.C. | QB Cam Newton, Auburn |
| 11 | Houston | (6-10) | rabble | OLB Aldon Smith, Missouri |
| 12 | Minnesota | (6-10) | KD | DE Cameron Jordan, California |
Follow the jump for a breakdown of the other team's needs and blurbs about the selections made.
Drafttek.com ranks our areas of interest as follows:
Tier One: Tackle, Cornerback
Tier Two: Center, 3-4 DE, 3-4 NT (Ratliff to DE scenario), 3-4 OLB, 3-4 MLB, FS, SS, C
Tier Three: O-Guard
Team needs (per Drafttek.com)
| Draft Pick | Team | 2010 Record | Team Needs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina | (2-14) | 4-3 DT, 4-3 DE, WR1, WR2, WR3, CB |
| 2 | Denver | (4-12) | 4-3 DT, 4-3 DE, FS, SS, 4-3 OLB, 4-3 ILB, TE, ROT |
| 3 | Buffalo | (4-12) | Everything except RB and WR, Kitchen Sink |
| 4 | Cincinatti | (4-12) | QB, 4-3 DT, WR, 4-3 DE, FS, 4-3 MLB, OG, OC |
| 5 | Arizona | (5-11) | QB, 3-4 OLB, CB, OG, LOT |
| 6 | Cleveland | (5-11) | 4-3 DE, 4-3 OLB, 4-3 MLB, WR, FS, CB |
| 7 | San Francisco | (6-10) | 3-4 DT, 3-4 OLB, CB, OC, QB |
| 8 | Tennesee | (6-10) | QB, CB, 4-3 DE, 4-3 OLB, 4-3 MLB |
| 9 | Dallas | (6-10) | We got Garrett, we don't have no stinkin' needs. But seriously, ROT, FS, OG, SS, CB, SILB, WILB, 3-4 DE, 3-4 OLB |
| 10 | Washington | (6-10) | competent owner, QB,RB, WR, OG, OC, 3-4DT, 3-4 OLB, FS, CB |
| 11 | Houston | (6-10) | 3-4 DE, 3-4 DT, 3-4 OLB, FS, CB |
| 12 | Minnesota | (6-10) | QB, WR, 4-3 DT, 4-3 DE, FS, LOT, OG, |
Dave's pick: Dallas selects CB Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
This was tough. I had three spots in mind, DE, OT and CB/S. I love J.J. Watt at DE, but I have some confidence that we could roll with Olshansky, Bowen and Hatcher at DE if we had to - not ideal - but we could do it. That left OT and CB/S. Marc Colombo's play last year was not good, but up until 2010 he was doing a great job at RT. I wonder if the early-season injury slowed him down for the year, or it could be a case of injury/age have started his decline. But I decided to pass on OT for now, and look for a decent candidate in the second round. It's a risk, given all the talent available at the position at this pick, but the draft is always a gamble. When I look at our secondary right now, I have very little confidence. Terence Newman is getting up in age and has had nagging injuries for the last few years, he, like Colombo, might be reaching that point where his play is in inevitable decline. Mike Jenkins was a disaster in 2010, can he bounce back? I have no confidence in our current situation at safety. Prince Amukamara seems like a guy who could help at corner - you really need three competent corners in today's NFL - and in a pinch could help at safety. It just seemed like he would be the best pick to help at a glaring need.
Lars's pick: Washington selects QB Cam Newton, Auburn
The Redskins can't believe their luck that Newton fell this far, especially as they were ready to draft Ponder or Mallet, just as long as they found a QB with which to cover up the McNabb mess Shanahan created in Washington. Next up in round two: a defensive tackle to sweep the second big mess in DC under the rug.
Rabblerousr's pick: Houston selects OLB Aldon Smith, Missouri
With Wade Phillips coming to town, the Texans will be switching over to a 3-4. They need a NT, but there nobody who grades out well enough to warrant the pick. Looking at the defensive linemen already on the roster, its clear that they have the bodies to play 3-4 end--Mario Williams could well become this defense's version of Bruce Smith. What they don't have is the pass rushing OLB. Wade has had success converting college DEs to OLBs, so there do so here, taking one of the players with the highest upside in the draft, Aldon Smith out of Missouri.
KD's pick: Minnesota selects DE Cameron Jordan,Cal
I thought about a couple options here. Minnesota is dismayed because they started holding out hope that Cam Newton was going to last to the 12th pick when they didn't see any trades being made. They do think about WR here with the Sidney Rice situation up in the air (at this time) and Percy Harvin moving so fast his brain can't keep up, but it's not a dire need. They have to go defense line with Pat Williams leaving the team. They take Cam Jordan, with the train of thought that he played in a 4-3 scheme early in his college career, and is that dominant of a player that you build a scheme around.
Have at it BTB, agree or disagree with Dave's selection for Dallas? How do you feel about facing Cam Newton in the division for the next decade.