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Drafttek.com released their newest seven-round consensus mock draft earlier today, and our good friend Long Ball alerted me to the release with an email. He does this from time to time, but this time he wrote something that I found intriguing. Long Ball wrote that this version of Drafttek's mock draft
"... may be the best haul yet, based on who was available at each of the Cowboys' selections."
That piqued my interest of course. What I like to do when I browse through Drafttek's mocks every week is to look at which player I would have chosen for the Cowboys instead of the players proposed in the original mock.
And that's exactly what I'll do after the break, with one simple rule: the player I choose instead of the pick proposed by Drafttek must be ranked lower in their mock draft than where the Cowboys are picking.
And as a bonus, Long Ball has agreed to write a rebuttal of my hijacking of his mock draft, all of which you'll find after the break. Here we go.
For both the following mocks, keep in mind that some of the popular picks for the Cowboys like David DeCastro (to Kansas City), Fletcher Cox (to Carolina) and Quinton Coples (to Seattle) are gone by the time the Cowboys are on the clock.
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Round |
Drafttek's Picks |
Who I'd pick instead (in this mock) |
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| 1 |
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama |
Melvin Ingram, OLB, South Carolina |
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Old Long Ball likes multi-positional players . . . there's good value, especially when trying to maneuver a 53 man roster. I want an interior OL prospect who can play both OC and OG and I want the #1 FS who also happens to be the #3 CB in this year's draft. Dre Kirkpatrick is not perfect . . . but he doesn't have to be! There are plenty of openings in the Cowboys' defensive backfield and Mike Jenkins' rookie contract expires after next season. |
While I like the idea of Kirkpatrick as a free safety, I can't help but notice that both Melvin Ingram and Whitney Mercilus are still available. Mercilus has been growing on me a lot lately, but I'm not quite ready to rank him as the best 3-4 OLB on my board. That honor still belongs to Melvin Ingram. |
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| 2 |
Kevin Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin |
Jared Crick, 3-4 DE, Nebraska |
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Like I said earlier, I like multi-positional players . . . and any OL coming out of that Offensive Line Manufacturing Plant located in Madison, WI is just fine with me! Kevin Zeitler can play center and either guard position . . . that's a 3-position player (if my math is correct) in an area of need for the Cowboys. Yes they signed Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings in free agency, but if you think the OL Reconstruction Project is over, then you haven't been reading my Big Uglies series! |
For the third year in a row, the Cowboys trust their medical department with their second round pick. Last year, early mocks had Crick as a top 15 prospect. A torn pectoral muscle sees him falling from mockers' graces, but if he is able to fully recover, Crick could be the steal of this draft. Crick had one of the best college production ratios for a defensive lineman, plays with a lot of power and is ideally suited to play the five technique for Dallas. |
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| 3 |
Jonathan Massaquoi, OLB, Troy |
Ben Jones, OC, Georgia |
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Deja vu all over again? Seems like the last time the Cowboys converted a Troy DE to OLB, it worked out pretty well. Take a look at the size, explosion factor and college productions . . . similar to a fella named Ingram perhaps? And don't give me lip about level of competition . . . the Sun Belt held its own this year and Ingram had the benefit of additional good players on the South Carolina defense, where Troy's opponents concentrated on Massaquoi. |
The 6-3, 315 lbs Jones is the second ranked center by CBSsports and Scout.com and was the Georgia team MVP as a senior. Jones had a stellar year at Georgia where he didn't allow a single sack last year against some pretty stout SEC defenses. |
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| 4 |
Malik Jackson, 3-4 DE, Tennessee |
Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma |
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6'5", 284, solid against the run, explosive pass-rusher . . . and that's as a 4-3 DE! If the Cowboys are not going to move Ratliff to DE, they have to get pressure from elsewhere on the line . . . and Jackson paired with Hatcher and Ratliff would be a good place to start. |
Fleming has been praised for his ball skills and playmaking ability. Fleming slides in perfectly as the 4th corner, and if he works on his tackling, he might be a starter one day. |
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| 5 |
Marquis Maze, WR, Alabama |
Coty Sensabaugh, CB, Clemson |
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There are a number of small, shifty slot receivers in this year's draft that would be an upgrade over Ogletree in the later rounds. A couple of boys from Arkansas come to mind, but if Maze has recovered from his injury, he adds the benefit of removing Dez from punt return duty. |
Coty was one of only three CB's to exceed the peer average for cornerbacks in four key drills at the combine (the other two were Stephon Gilmore and Josh Robinson): the 40-yard Dash (4.49), Three-Cone (6.98), Short Shuttle (4.21), Broad Jump (10’2"). The Cowboys add a supremely gifted athlete to their roster, who's good in man coverage, fits right into the Cowboys' scheme and can be the gunner on special teams immediately. |
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| 6 |
DeQuan Menzie, CB, Alabama |
Drake Dunsmore, TE, Northwestern |
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A fine combination of a physical, run-supporting CB (5'11", 202 lbs) who can also cover man-to-man . . . you didn't think the Crimson Tide only had 1 good CB, didja? |
I'll qoute Birddog26 on Dunsmore: "He would not just eat Bennett’s lunch, he would crap it for Bennett to eat." Dunsmore may be one of the best all-round TE prospects in the draft and tore up the combine, so it's unlikely he'll still be around in the 6th round, but if he is, this is your boy, Jerry. |
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7 |
George Bryan, TE, North Carolina State |
Micah Pellerin, FS, Hampton |
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A strong blocking TE with size (6'5", 267) who also has a good pair of hands (been described as "glue) and while he won't stretch the field, he always seems to manage to find the soft spots of a zone defense and uses his body size to shield defenders from the ball (sound like a feller you've heard of?). |
Pellerin (6-0, 187) is the small-school prospect that each Cowboys draft seems to need. Originally a corner, his combination of good height, long arms, tremendous athleticism and good top-end speed make him an intriguing prospect for the free safety spot. |
Can't say I dislike Long Ball's mock. I really like the idea of Kirkpatrick moving over to free safety. I'm a little worried that as a cornerback he might be a better fit in a zone-blocking scheme and not such a great addition for the Cowboys.
I think Zeitler would be a great addition for the Cowboys, and I also like Massaquoi and Jackson as third and fourth rounders. In fact, I wouldn't be upset if the Cowboys selected the players Long Ball has mocked to Dallas.
But I took a different approach. I believe that many of the need positions on the Cowboys roster - corner, safety, interior linemen, tight ends or receivers - can be found in almost every round of this draft. But quality pass rushers and defensive linemen will not be available outside of the first two rounds. So unless a top talent like David DeCastro falls the Cowboys' way, I believe they'd be best served by investing in their front five. And then they can proceed to carpet bomb the secondary and other positions in the later rounds.
And now on to Long Ball's rebuttal of my hijacked mock:
1. Name the last FS for the Cowboys who had the coverage skills of a CB . . . if you answered Mel Renfro, you would be correct! And he was able to move back to CB for the Cowboys' first 2 Super Bowl runs in the early 70's. Like you, I see similarities in the pass-rushing OLB's available . . . all the way down to Jonathan Massaquoi!
2. Sorry, this is where drafting injured players in the 2nd round has to end for da 'Boys . . . especially when there's a 3-position player available for the OL and a healthy Malik Jackson is available at DE later.
3. Ben Jones is better suited for a ZBS . . . he's a finesse center and doesn't fit our scheme near as well as Philip Blake of Baylor.
4. I like Fleming . . . but not as well as Kirkpatrick . . . plus, I need this slot for the aforementioned Jackson.
5. I like this pick and would probably flip-flop and take a WRS/KR in the 6th instead of Menzie.
6. Dunsmore is more of an H-Back, smaller receiving TE . . . the reason I tagged Bryan in the 7th was for his size and blocking ability.
7. I like Pellerin . . . but not as much as Kirkpatrick . . . LOL!
So there you have it. Drafttek vs. BTB. Who has the better draft for the Cowboys and more importantly, what would you do differently?