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Cowboys News & Notes: Two Weeks Until The Draft, We Still Have No Idea What The Plan Is At Four

The draft is so close and we still have no idea where the Cowboys may be leaning. That's just fine, though, football Christmas is upon us.

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

David Moore's top five players on Cowboys' draft board: No. 3, QB Carson Wentz | SportsDay
Dallas Cowboys insider David Moore recently joined SportsDay DFW's Ballzy podcast with Barry Horn and Kevin Sherrington to talk all things Cowboys' draft.

Yeah. It's interesting. They like [Jared] Goff as well, and they like [Paxton] Lynch a lot, too. It's going to be interesting once they work through these next 10 days how it's going to sort out and how they rank these quarterbacks. Wentz with the upside, with the size, the fact they got to spend extended time with him at the Senior Bowl, there's a lot to like about him.

Emmitt Smith says running backs have been devalued in the NFL -Drew Davison- The Star-Telegram
Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith played 15 seasons in the NFL. He says the position has been devalued in recent years.

"I’m extremely disappointed in it because they have placed the emphasis on the quarterback position and the D-ends and maybe even cornerbacks. And the guy who takes the pressure off all of that is the running back."

Could the Dallas Cowboys add another first-round offensive lineman?- Todd Archer- ESPN
The Cowboys could be in position to take another O-lineman at No. 4, but the focus now should be on keeping the current group together.

With the fourth overall pick, the Cowboys could be in position to take another offensive lineman in the first round if Laremy Tunsil does not go among the top three picks. Maybe Notre Dame’s Ronnie Stanley could be an option if the Cowboys trade down.

Five To Fit: Draft Possibilities To Bolster The Depth At Tight End -Dave Helman- Dallas Cowboys
We tend to forget that the Cowboys have some questions to answer at the tight end position, which, at this point, looks a bit empty in the depth department.

Despite that, Dallas has drafted a tight end in seven of 12 years since Witten joined the roster. The trend has maintained recently, as James Hanna, Gavin Escobar and Geoff Swaim – the team’s current three tight ends behind Witten – were all drafted in the past four years.

Baylor's Oakman 'undraftable now' after sexual assault charge -Chase Goodbread- NFL.com
Former Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman was arrested Wednesday on a sexual assault charge by police in Waco, Texas. For any Cowboys fans that liked him, he may have just been placed in the "do not touch" bin.

The Baylor defensive end finished his three seasons at Baylor with 128 tackles and 17.5 sacks. He was once considered a top pass-rush prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft, though questions about his character (he was dismissed from Penn State in 2012), along with inconsistent play, had hampered his draft status. Now, two weeks before the draft, this incident almost assuredly takes him off all NFL team boards.

Emmitt Smith: I'm not drafting Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 if I'm the Cowboys | SportsDay
There's been plenty of people and former Cowboys weigh in with their opinions on what the team should do with the No. 4 overall pick on April 28 in Chicago. Now, the perhaps the Cowboys' biggest former star has an opinion...

RB Alfred Morris eager for opportunity with Dallas Cowboys -Charean Williams- The Star-Telegram
Alfred Morris joins the Dallas Cowboys as a backup running back to Darren McFadden, but he knows things can change quickly in the NFL. His agent spoke about the process of Morris becoming a Cowboy.

"…There’s something in the water down in Pensacola. The Cowboys had quite a good run with Emmitt [Smith], and Emmitt paved the way for Alfred to have big dreams coming out of Pensacola. It’s exciting to know that he’s going to a place where Emmitt became one of the greatest running backs in NFL history."

Dallas Cowboys have cover at running back but still need help- Todd Archer- ESPN
A case can be made for the Cowboys to select Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 overall in the draft, but would they go that high on a running back?

Elliott is the best runner available. He is a three-down back and could really do for the Cowboys what Murray did in 2014. Teams have devalued runners, but the Cowboys have to ask themselves whether they want to have a great runner behind what is considered a great line and see how things turn out. In what was a down year, they ran for nearly 1,900 yards as a team with McFadden, Randle, Dunbar, Christine Michael and Robert Turbin as their main ball carriers.

Cowboys 2016 Draft: Should Dallas Trade Down At A Discount This Year? - One. Cool. Customer- Blogging The Boys
If the teams picking in the top ten of the draft are stumbling all over themselves to trade down and acquire extra picks, simple market dynamics suggest that they'll have to trade down at a discount.

Top ten deals can be tricky because of the stakes involved and the price attached to the top picks. There are many examples of teams getting great value by trading down, just as there are many examples of teams getting thoroughly hosed for trading down. Today we'll walk through the last four drafts to see which directions trades in the top ten have taken.

Cowboys Give Safety Jeff Heath A Four-Year Contract - Dave Halprin- Blogging The Boys
Reserve safety and special teams ace Jeff Heath was a restricted free agent, but has now signed a four-year deal to stay in Dallas.

Heath came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State in 2013. Heath is known as an ace on special teams and the Cowboys are counting on that value. But he's also taken on expanded roles in the regular playing rotation and even ended up with two interceptions last season. Heath fits the role of a great depth guy who can back up Barry Church, J.J. Wilcox, possibly Byron Jones or someone the Cowboys may draft later this month.

Possible Pick: CB Xavien Howard Improved Production Year To Year At Baylor -Rob Phillips- Dallas Cowboys
Continuing the series, the Mothership takes a look at a cornerback that could be of service for the Cowboys.

Re-signing Claiborne was significant, but the team could still look to draft a corner who can play right away and potentially develop into a starter. Howard has an ideal frame to play press coverage and compete against the league’s bigger, more physical receivers.

With the fourth pick in the first round of the NFL draft, the Cowboys select... -David Moore- SportsDay
When you hear and read reports in the coming days about who the Cowboys like, who they don't and what their draft board looks like, don't believe anything.

Some of the information falls into the category of informed opinion, some is speculation and the rest can kindly be characterized as wild, uninformed guessing. The draft board of the Cowboys and every other team is proprietary information. Why would any organization allow information out of their building that could negatively impact their draft?

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