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Like everyone else, I have several players I want to see the Dallas cowboys obtain in this draft. But they always defy expectations and players don't go as we would expect. Going through the fourth round, I make some hopeful, and less hopeful, picks for our team.
Pick 4
Who I want: Jared Goff -- I believe this guy is the real deal. A franchise quarterback. I think every team that passes on him will rue the day.
Who we might get: Jalen Ramsey -- A defensive playmaker is certainly a good thing here. His physical play and tremendous talent make him a terrific pick at the top of the draft. You can never have too many cornerbacks, and a top notch safety is perhaps the rarest find of all. Like Byron Jones, he does both.
Pick 34
Who I want: Darian Thompson -- The team desperately needs a ball hawk. Thompson is a very strong candidate, having broken All-Pro Eric Weddle's conference record for career interceptions (with 19). His game tape is impressive and he plays fast and aggressively.
Who we might get: Ronald Blair -- This kid is the real deal. He may not have the edge bend of a DeMarcus Lawrence, but he's much bigger and more powerful and still plenty quick and agile, while a solid 32 rep performance in the combine bench press testifies to his strength. Was much more impressed with his game tape than either Buckner or Bosa and I would presume that he does not have the additional support around him that those guys do. He looks like someone who could be an immediate starter to me, and I don't think 34 is too high.
Pick 67
Who I want: Sheldon Day -- While he's not in the same physical league as Aaron Donald, he's similar in that people are misrepresenting concerns about him. 6'1", 293 lbs is slightly undersized, but not at all bad for a DT in Dallas's scheme, with the lower height providing a leverage advantage. I think he could be a very disruptive player on the interior of this defensive line and his slightly disappointing 21 bench press reps at the combine could let him fall to Dallas.
Who we might get: Paul Perkins -- I just mentioned how much I like this player in my last piece, so there would be no crying here if we managed to snag this guy. A very complete back who needs a little technique work in pass protection but is otherwise everything you could want and is a legacy player to boot, being the nephew of former Dallas great Don Perkins.
Pick 102
Who I want: Scooby Wright -- Instinctive player with limited athletic ability and size. He is constantly compared to Zach Thomas (and presumably would compare favorably to another former Cowboy, Dat Nguyen). Having had a limited 2015 season due to injury and with questions about his speed in particular, he may fall this far and think he would be an excellent pickup if he does.
Who we might get: Tajae Sharpe -- a smooth wide receiver with immense production, he literally caught a pass in every game of his college career. His senior year he had 111 catches for over 1,300 yards and he possesses a good speed and size combination (6'2", 4.55 forty) but does not have the strength or big hands that a player like Dez Bryant does and this limits him in contested catch situations. In other words, he has a lot of similarities to Terrance Williams, though NFL.com's scouts compared him to another Dallas receiver, Devin Street. Walter Football had this to say about Sharpe's drills: "One of the most impressive wide receivers in terms of hands and route-running in the field work was UMass' Tajae Sharpe. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound Sharpe made some superb catches, including a diving reception downfield. He also had a pretty over-the-shoulder hands catch and was very good running the gauntlet. Sharpe is a sleeper receiver who could be a day-three value"
Remember, these "who we might get" picks are not meant to be astounding values or draft hopes, but a realistic projection of how high Dallas might take these players if the team likes them as much as I think they would. Don't shoot the messenger, but instead, consider what a nice little draft package Ramsey, Blair, Perkins, and Sharpe might be.