Cowboys Draft 2016: Pros, Cons For Each Draft Candidate

The Dallas Cowboys are sitting with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. A week from now, the Cowboys could very well decide how the last years of Tony Romo's illustrious career will play out. On one hand, the Cowboys are one of the best teams in the past few years to choose in the top ten. On the other hand, the Cowboys have a ton of pressing needs and the fact of the matter is that the draft may not be able to answer all of them.

As it stands right now, Dallas is likely down to three players to choose from with their fourth-overall pick. While the possibility of trading back is still  alive, the Cowboys standing pat with their pick and using it on a player that can immediately help this roster is also likely. Let's take a look at each candidate for the Cowboys' first-round pick and see why they are and why they are not a good pick atop the first round.

Jalen Ramsey, Cornerback/Safety, Florida

Pros:

Adding a talent like Ramsey in the 2016 NFL Draft would give the Cowboys a chance to add yet another superstar in the secondary. The team added Byron Jones in last year's draft and if the Cowboys do end up moving Jones to free safety, drafting Ramsey to play the cornerback would be a good idea. Ramsey is the top defensive player on many draft boards. He has size, he's confident, and all of his athleticism points to a player that can be really special at the NFL level.

Cons:

It's good to have a talented secondary, but if you do not have a decent pass rush to go with it, it can lead to more time for receivers to get open. It's rare for a defensive back to come into the NFL and immediately succeed. On top of that, the Cowboys reportedly got at least one bad report on Ramsey. DallasCowboys.com's Nick Eatman reported that the Cowboys were calling around on Ramsey and they didn't hear the best news from one source:

"I was told yesterday the Cowboys were seeking some advice on Ramsey and got an opinion that they thought was going to give them a pretty good report. Turns out it wasn't...at all. I'm not saying their saying ‘oh, now we're not taking him'. But they called someone up. Said ‘Hey, what do you think about this guy?' And it wasn't glowing."

Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Ohio State

Pros:

For awhile now, the general mantra has been that "anyone could run behind this offensive line". While Darren McFadden proved that statement to be true in 2015, the Cowboys would be wise to find a way to get the most out of their offensive line and its potential. Drafting Elliott would do that, as it would finally give the Cowboys a unique skillset in the backfield. Elliott has the look of potentially becoming one of the best running backs in football and by coming to Dallas, Elliott would be dangerous next to Romo. He would also be a nice player to rely on when the Cowboys have to develop their successor to Romo.

Cons:

With such a small window to win a championship under Romo, the Cowboys have bigger needs elsewhere. Considering that Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Lance Dunbar are all under contract, the Cowboys would have an extremely packed backfield with Elliott. In today's NFL, running backs are devalued. And while the team could add Elliott in the first round, they could also add a guy like C.J. Prosise in a alter round and likely get some production as well.

Joey Bosa, Defensive End, Ohio State

Pros:

In terms of fitting a need, drafting Bosa would make the most sense. He's an athlete who won in college off of strength and great hands.. He might struggle against NFL offensive tackles, but he's a still a really good player that seems to get too much flack from the draft community. A year ago, if you said that the Cowboys were drafting Bosa in the first round, fans everywhere would be thrilled. But the Ohio State product lost some hype in the 2015 collegiate season. Bosa has the look of a guy who can consistently get 10-12 sacks. But is he worthy of a pick that needs to reap immediate contribution?

Cons:

The Cowboys can't make their plans over the next five years on suspensions that will only effect the team for four games. at the start of this season What I'm saying by that is the Cowboys shouldn't just choose Bosa to fill the defensive end hole in the loss of Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence during their four-game suspensions. Bosa doesn't have the twitchiness mold that the Cowboys look for and it's yet to be clear how he will beat offensive tackles in the NFL. Once he's all developed, will he be a top-end sack guy or will he be run-of-the-mill and a good run defender?

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