30 of the NFL's 32 teams are now in full-blown draft prep mode. The Senior Bowl has come and gone and concludes the remaining 'organized football' on scouts' and mocker's schedules until the Combine arrives.
The big guns among draft analysts are busy preparing their updated mock drafts and many mockers are frantically updating their mocks based on their impressions of the Senior Bowl as the first wave of post-Senior Bowl mocks hits the interwebs.
After the break, we look at who Wes Bunting, Don Banks, Peter Schrager, SB Nation and others are projecting as the Cowboys first-round draft pick.
| Analyst | Pick | Comments | Next five available players | My Take |
|
Wes Bunting, NFP (1/30) |
Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin |
Center and guard are both needs in Dallas and the idea of adding a potential blue-chip lineman who has the skill set to play either spot is simply too good to pass up even at 14. | ILB Luke Kuechly, OLB Courtney Upshaw, RB Trent Richardson, ILB Dont'a Hightower, OT Mike Adams | I'm surprised Wes is mocking Konz this high. I would love Konz in a Cowboys jersey, but not with the 14th pick. This could be an option in a trade-down scenario. |
|
Ryan Van Bibber, SB Nation (1/30) |
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama | Another obvious fit for a team that tried to bluff its way through with Terrance Newman in the secondary. Kirkpatrick is a physical cornerback who excels in man coverage. He'll match up well in the NFC East against the Giants' receivers. Obligated to mention his marijuana arrest, it's nothing more than a reminder of how silly the draft stock game gets sometimes. | ILB Luke Kuechly, WR Kendall Wright, CB Janoris Jenkins, OLB Melvin Ingram, WR Michael Floyd | This is a Nick Saban protegé, and Garrett has very close ties to Saban. If the Cowboys end up picking Kirkpatrick, they'll have done their homework. Remember, the Cowboys loved, loved, loved Patrick Peterson last year. |
|
Draft King, (1/30) |
Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina | Coples looked great in the Senior Bowl, though in many ways it wasn't an accurate demonstration of his potential since he mostly faced off with Washington OL Senio Kelemete, who projects much stronger as an offensive guard than as a left offensive tackle. But there is no doubting Coples' size and strength, and he could be a great fit for Dallas' 3-4 defense. | ILB Luke Kuechly, OG David DeCastro, RB Trent Richardson, OLB Vontaze Burfict, WR Alshon Jeffrey | Jerry Jones said "our defensive front is one of the strengths of our team." LIAR, LIAR PANTS ON FIRE! Welcome to the Cowboys, Quinton. |
|
Peter Schrager, Foxsports (1/29) |
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama | A 6-3 cornerback (think Patrick Peterson size) with top-flight speed (think Patrick Peterson speed), Kirkpatrick is the rare tall cornerback who can keep up with the game’s fastest receivers (like Patrick Peterson). The Cowboys are desperate for some depth and some young talent at cornerrback. Kirkpatrick - a guy I could see going in the top 10 - would be an absolute steal at No. 14. | LB Zach Brown, SS Mark Barron, CB Janoris Jenkins, DE Nick Perry, C Peter Konz | At 6-2, Kirkpatrick could be just the guy the Cowboys need to shut down the tall-receiver-nuisance the Cowboys repeatedly faced in 2011. |
|
Sideline Scouting (1/29) |
David DeCastro, OG, Stanford | The Cowboys lost guard Bill Nagy for the year and he was marginal at best to begin with. Dallas lost the reputation for having a strong interior line a long time ago and DeCastro hopes to bring that reputation back. There have been four interior offensive linemen drafted in the Top 21 in the last three years (Mack, Iupati and the Pouncey twins) but it wouldn't be a surprise if DeCastro goes higher than any of them. He's the top interior lineman in this draft and should be able to help keep Tony Romo healthy as well as open up holes for the dynamic duo of DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones. | ILB Luke Kuechly, WR Alshon Jeffrey, RB Trent Richardson, OLB Nick Perry, OT Mike Adams | As a Cowboys fan, I've been conditioned not to expect a lineman in the first round. If that were to happen in two consecutive years, I would have to contact the Vatican to have this officially recognized as a miracle. |
|
Don Banks, SI.com (1/27) |
Janoris Jenkins, CB North Alabama |
The Cowboys' secondary was the reason the Giants won the NFC East rather than Dallas. Jenkins, the ex-Gators cornerback, has some maturity issues that will scare some teams away, but the Cowboys usually aren't too skittish about such things. Alabama safety Mark Barron is another solid option, but he doesn't have Jenkins' elite cover skills. | ILB Luke Kuechly, SS Mark Barron, RB Trent Richardson, OLB Whitney Mercilus, WR Michael Floyd | Jenkins' stock is trending up strongly after his Senior Bowl performance. At this stage, the Cowboys will be happy to have him as an option at no. 14, and if they have no issues with his character questions, neither do I. |