Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Will Cowboys Take Two Corners In The Draft?

Cowboys could take two corners in the draft - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
In response to a Twitter question about how many corners the Cowboys could take in the draft, Archer writes that he sees the Cowboys taking two.

If I had to do a mock draft - and I don't thankfully - then I would predict the Cowboys take a cornerback at No. 27 and my pick would be Connecticut's Byron Jones. Maybe something changes in the next couple of weeks, but I just think we are seeing cornerback come into focus more and more.

But to your question, I think the Cowboys could use a couple of corners in the draft. We've discussed the futures of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne often in these mailbags. I believe both will be on the roster in 2015, but I'm not sure how the Cowboys can bank on Claiborne being a contributor with the knee injury. It's best to look at anything you get from him as gravy. So that being said, I can see them taking two corners in this draft and one in the first round in Jones.

Machota: I think Cowboys could pick a corner as early as pick 27 - Dallas Morning News
Jon Machota answered questions in a chat on Friday, and here's his take on whether the Cowboys are still looking for veteran defensive backs to shore up the secondary.

They are always looking at players but I think the most likely way they'll improve in the secondary is through the draft. This isn't a great class of safeties. It wasn't a great free agency class of safeties, either. But cornerback will be a priority in the draft and I could see them pulling the trigger on a CB as early as pick 27.

The top ones in this class: Marcus Peters, Washington; Trae Waynes, Michigan State; Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest; Ronald Darby, Florida State; Jalen Collins, LSU; Byron Jones, UConn and P.J. Williams, Florida State. The Cowboys have met with most of them.

Dallas Cowboys host Boise State running back Jay Ajayi | Clarence Hill, The Star Telegram
Hill writes that Ajayi was one of "more than 80" players participating at workouts during Dallas Day at Valley Ranch, and that the Cowboys had wined and dined Ajayi the evening before.

So not only did Ajayi work out for the team on Friday, he also went to dinner with running backs coach Gary Brown on Thursday night.

"They wouldn’t be taking me to dinner if they weren’t interested," Ajayi said.

By all accounts, Ajayi had a great workout. An agent who was there with another player said "No. 47" stood out. That’s the same feedback Ajayi got.

"They said I had a great workout," Ajayi said. "I talked to coach [Jason] Garrett and Stephen Jones and the running backs coach afterward."

The Friday Profile: Cowboys DT Tyrone Crawford | Alen Dumonjić
Amid all the talk about draft prospects, we often forget that the Cowboys already have some real gems on their roster. Dumonjić puts Tyrone Crawford under the microscope and recounts how Crawford transitioned from DE to DT and improved at that position during the 2014 season.

He started to develop more pass-rush moves, such as club, arm over, and bull rush. None of them were consistent, yet they had the potential to be destructive against slow-handed and heavy-footed guards. He penetrated the pocket more because he also bent his knees better. He didn’t stand as tall as he had against the Saints. He notched his first three sacks against the rival Philadelphia Eagles over two meetings and flashed full-time disruption potential in Week 14 against the Chicago Bears, whom he registered a hurry and two hits against.

Midway through the fourth quarter [of the Bears game], Crawford hovered [over] the line of scrimmage in a three-point stance across the right guard’s outside shoulder. His right leg staggered back. He stepped forward with his right foot, then his left and duped the blocker into sliding to his left. The second he slid, Crawford bent his knees and burst inside and clubbed the guard with a thunderous right hand and swam his left arm over the guard’s inside shoulder to beam through the A-gap between the guard and the center.

Emmitt Smith talks about saddest moment of his career at local fundraiser - San Angelo Standard Times
Smith spoke at the Family, Football & Fame luncheon hosted by San Angelo’s Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health, and talked extensively about head trauma, about playing through pain, about being drafted by the Cowboys, and about coming back to Dallas to play against the Cowboys.

Smith talked about knowing it was time to hang up the cleats in February 2005 and described what he called "the saddest moments in my entire career."

"When I came back to Texas Stadium to play the Cowboys as an Arizona Cardinal," Smith said, "that’s when I knew how much I loved the Dallas Cowboys."

"When I came back to Texas Stadium and got dressed in the visitor’s locker room, it broke my heart where I cried for 45 minutes straight in front of all my teammates. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I couldn’t put it into words. This is not my locker room. My locker room is over there."

Greg Cosell's NFL draft preview: Todd Gurley may be best prospect in class | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
Greg Cosell takes at detailed look at Georgia’s Todd Gurley ands argues that Gurley is clearly the best running back in this class, and may be even more than that.

The question then becomes where Gurley will be drafted. No running back has gone in the first round either of the past two drafts. In my opinion you shouldn’t pass a running back to draft a player ranked significantly lower on your draft board because of this notion that you don’t draft running backs high. If you have Gurley ranked, say, eighth on your draft board and he’s still available (and is the top player left on your board) when you pick in the 20s, you draft Gurley. It’s that simple.

Whoever does draft Gurley will be getting a big-time prospect. He’s a terrific back, a great player and arguably the best prospect in this draft.

[AMA] Jeremy Mincey. Mr. Mince is in the building! AMA : cowboys
Jeremey Mincey did an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on reddit, which is the equivalent of a Q&A. The entire thing is a great read (you've gotta love somebody who lists Béla Bartók among the music he listens to - yeah, that's right you young punks, look it up!), but this one has got to top everything in the known universe:

Say what you want about Jerry Jones but the guy is a smart business man. Their local workout allowed family members, friends to attend... +

— Jayson Braddock (@JaysonBraddock) April 11, 2015

...the participants in the local workout also got Cowboys gift bags. Kids that go undrafted or become FAs in a few years, they'll remember..

— Jayson Braddock (@JaysonBraddock) April 11, 2015

...the way Dallas treated them & their family. What UDFA wouldn't be impressed by the Dallas Cowboys letting their Mom watch his workout?

— Jayson Braddock (@JaysonBraddock) April 11, 2015