Quick review time. The Cowboys entered the 2011 NFL Draft with major holes at offensive tackle and safety. They had a need at defensive end, inside linebacker and could use help at cornerback as well as offensive guard. If there was a future stud at defensive tackle, he was worth taking. Those were the perceived needs when analyzing the current roster.
The Cowboys fulfilled the major need at offensive tackle with the top prospect at the position, USC's Tyron Smith. From there though, we caught a glimpse at how the Cowboys brass sees things, and the vision was a lot different than the one a lot of fans had.That's not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes, the confusion is warranted. Only time will tell for this draft class, which is always the case for both positive and negative opinions.
The selection of UNC's Bruce Carter shows that the Cowboys did not currently have the right mix of linebackers for Rob Ryan's exotic schemes. I envision Carter as at least the nickel linebacker as soon as the bye week. The Cowboys then turned around and selected Oklahoma running back Demarco Murray in the third round. To me, this not only signals that Marion Barber will be a cap casualty as soon as legally possible, but also that the team doesn't have any long range plans for Tashard Choice. Could it be possible that the team has a wink-wink deal ready to go for Choice? I'm rationalizing... I know.
Here's what you need to remember about the draft starting with round four. The big boards mean everything now. How you evaluated the middle tiers of the draft will determine the true grade of your draft in years to come. Often times, you could have a prospect ranked #100 and get him in the sixth round.
Follow the jump for a look at the prospects that could fit into Dallas' plans on Day Three of the 2011 Draft.
Here's SB Nation's Draft Site, MockingTheDraft.com's top 10 remaining available players. Here's the link to the top 30.
| Rank | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | Clint Boling | G | Georgia |
| 2 | Sam Acho | DE | Texas |
| 3 | Quan Sturdivant | LB | UNC |
| 4 | Edmund Gates | WR | Abilene Christian |
| 5 | Marcus Cannon | G | TCU |
| 6 | Christian Ballard | DE | Iowa |
| 7 | DeMarcus Love | G | Arkansas |
| 8 | Virgil Green | TE | Nevada |
| 9 | Johnny White | RB | UNC |
| 10 | Chris Hairston | TE | Clemson |
Here's a look at some of the top remaining prospects by position:
Safety
DeAndre McDaniel
Deunta Williams
Ahmad Black
Robert Sands
Tyler Sash
Quinton Carter
Da'Norris Searcy
Cornerback
Davon House
Brandon Burton
Chykie Brown
Buster Skrine
Jalil Brown
Korey Lindsey
Rashad Carmichael
Brandon Burton
Offensive Guard
Jason Pinkston
Marcus Cannon
Clint Boling
Stephen Schilling
DeMarcus Love
Defensive End
Lawrence Guy
Christian Ballard
Cedric Thornton
Nose Tackle
Jerrel Powe
Center
Brandon Fusco
Jake Kirkpatrick
Tim Barnes
Outside Linebacker
Sam Acho
Chris Carter
Steven Friday
Inside Linebacker
Quan Sturdivant
Fullback
Owen Marecic
Henry Hynoski