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We are only a few weeks away from the draft. I think we all might be relieved once it is finally here because while it is a fun time, it is stressful. The smokescreens are in full effect now, and Jerry Jones is a pro at it. This is the most frustrating part of the draft for me. I spend months breaking down and analyzing prospects for the Cowboys to draft, but this year is totally different.
The last two years we had a better idea of who the Cowboys are interested in. This year I couldn't tell you with certainty who will be the next first-round draft pick for the team. We know where the holes are, so at least we have an idea of the positions they will be targeting. Defensive line, guard, cornerback and pass rusher should be at the top of the draft priority list.
Usually when I write this board up, I attempt to stay unbiased and make it non Cowboys related. When I began writing this update, I found it difficult to steer away from not thinking about a board that made sense for Dallas. That is why you will see certain positions and players rated the way they are. Secondary, defensive line, pass rushers and offensive lineman all make sense for the Cowboys. With that in mind, I altered my rankings accordingly.
One player you will see with a very high ranking for the first time is offensive guard Brandon Brooks. The more I examine him, the more I like him. He is a tank that would really bring a much needed physical element to the Cowboys offensive line. At one point he looked like a reach with the 45th overall pick, but I think he would be a great pick for us in the second round.
Besides offensive line, the offense for the most part is set. This should be a draft that allows defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to upgrade his personnel. Fortunately for the Cowboys, this is a draft class stocked with defensive talent. Last year we saw a dedication to the offense, hopefully this year we see the draft picks go to the other side of the football.
So have at it folks, comment and leave your feedback below. This will be one of my last big board updates for the year. I will release one right before the draft, with a few mocks in between then for some good old fashioned fun.
The Top 50
Rank |
Previous |
Player | Position | College | Change | Trend |
1 | 1 | Andrew Luck | QB | Stanford | n.c. | ![]() |
2 | 2 | Robert Griffin III | QB | Baylor | n.c. |
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3 | 5 | Morris Claiborne | CB | LSU | 2 |
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4 | 4 | Matt Kalil | OT | USC | n.c. | ![]() |
5 | 3 | Justin Blackmon | WR | Oklahoma State | -2 | ![]() |
6 | 6 | David DeCastro | OG | Stanford | n.c. | ![]() |
7 | 7 | Trent Richardson | RB | Alabama | n.c. | ![]() |
8 | 8 | Melvin Ingram | DE | South Carolina | n.c. | ![]() |
9 | 9 | Luke Kuechly | LB | Boston College | n.c. | ![]() |
10 | 15 | Quinton Coples | DE | North Carolina | 5 | ![]() |
11 | 10 | Janoris Jenkins | CB | North Alabama | -1 | ![]() |
12 | 29 | Mark Barron | S | Alabama | 17 |
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13 | 11 | Nick Perry | DE | USC | -2 | ![]() |
14 | 12 | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama | -2 | ![]() |
15 | 13 | Dontari Poe | DT | Memphis | -2 | ![]() |
16 | 14 | Michael Brockers | DT | LSU | -2 | ![]() |
17 | 20 | Fletcher Cox | DT | Mississippi State | 3 | ![]() |
18 | 18 | Cordy Glenn | OG | Georgia | n.c. | ![]() |
19 | 16 | Riley Reiff | OT | Iowa | -3 | ![]() |
20 | 17 | Michael Floyd | WR | Notre Dame | -3 | ![]() |
21 | 19 | Jonathan Martin | OT | Stanford | -2 | ![]() |
22 | 21 | Don'ta Hightower | LB | Alabama | -1 | ![]() |
23 | 28 | Stephon Gilmore | CB | South Carolina | 5 | ![]() |
24 | 24 | Courtney Upshaw | LB | Alabama | n.c. | ![]() |
25 | 33 | Whitney Mercilus | DE | Illinois | 8 |
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26 | 40 | Coby Fleener | TE | Stanford | 14 |
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27 | 22 | Devon Still | DT | Penn State | -5 | ![]() |
28 | 23 | Ryan Tannehill | QB | Texas A&M | -5 | ![]() |
29 | NR | Brandon Brooks | OG | Miami Ohio | - - | ![]() |
30 | 30 | Kendall Wright | WR | Baylor | n.c. | ![]() |
31 | 27 | Bruce Irvin | LB | West Virginia | -4 | ![]() |
32 | 25 | Mike Adams | OT | Ohio State | -7 |
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33 | 31 | Vinny Curry | DE/OLB | Marshall | -2 | ![]() |
34 | 34 | David Wilson | RB | Virginia Tech | n.c. | ![]() |
35 | 32 | Brandon Thompson | DT | Clemson | -3 | ![]() |
36 | 26 | Alameda Ta'amu | DT | Washington | -10 |
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37 | 37 | Kendall Reyes | DL | Uconn | n.c. | ![]() |
38 | 38 | Lamar Miller | RB | Miami | n.c. | ![]() |
39 | 45 | Andre Branch | OLB | Clemson | 6 |
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40 | 28 | Alshon Jeffery | WR | South Carolina | -12 |
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41 | 36 | LaMichael James | RB | Oregon | -5 | ![]() |
42 | 41 | Zach Brown | LB | North Carolina | -1 | ![]() |
43 | NR | Kevin Zeitler | OG | Wisconsin | - - | ![]() |
44 | 44 | Josh Robinson | CB | Central Florida | n.c. | ![]() |
45 | 42 | Orson Charles | TE | Georgia | -3 | ![]() |
46 | NR | Peter Konz | C | Wisconsin | - - | ![]() |
47 | 35 | Mohammed Sanu | WR | Rutgers | -12 |
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48 | 47 | Jerel Worthy | DT | Michigan State | -1 | ![]() |
49 | 49 | Dwayne Allen | TE | Clemson | n.c. | ![]() |
50 | NR | Amini Silatolu | OG | Midestern State | - - | ![]() |
Out | ||||||
39 | Brandon Washington | OG | Miami | |||
43 | Kelechi Osemele | OG | Iowa State | |||
46 | Mychael Kendricks | LB | California | |||
48 | Chandler Jones | DE/OLB | Syracuse | |||
50 | Jared Crick | DE | Nebraska | |||
40 | Jonathan Massaquoi | DE/OLB | Troy | |||
45 | Chase Minnifield | CB | Virginia | |||
49 | Vontaze Burfict | LB | Arizona State |
Here's how the Top 50 board splits out by position groups
QB | WR | TE | RB | OT | C/G |
Andrew Luck | Justin Blackmon | Coby Fleener | Trent Richardson | Matt Kalil | David DeCastro |
Robert Griffin III | Michael Floyd | Orson Charles | David Wilson | Riley Reiff | Cordy Glenn |
Ryan Tannehill | Kendall Wright | Dwayne Allen | LaMichael James | Jonathan Martin | Brandon Brooks |
Alshon Jeffrey | Lamar Miller | Mike Adams | Kevin Zeitler | ||
Mohammed Sanu | Peter Konz | ||||
Amini Silatolu | |||||
DT | DE | LB | CB | S | |
Dontari Poe | Melvin Ingram | Luke Kuechly | Morris Claiborne | Mark Barron | |
Michael Brockers | Quinton Coples | Don'ta Hightower | Janoris Jenkins | ||
Fletcher Cox | Nick Perry | Courtney Upshaw | Dre Kirkpatrick | ||
Devon Still | Whitney Mercilus | Zach Brown | Stephon Gilmore | ||
Brandon Thompson | Bruce Irvin | Josh Robinson | |||
Alameda Ta'amu | Vinny Curry | ||||
Kendall Reyes | Andre Branch | ||||
Jerel Worthy |