Cowboys news: Draft targets at several positions, Cowboys lose a great member of its football family

Two linebackers who could be of great value to Cowboys after Round 1 of NFL draft - Dane Brugler, SportsDay
If you have your heart set on Roquan Smith because you want the Cowboys to get a strong linebacker in the draft, you're probably going to be disappointed. But as Dane Brugler points out, if the team misses out on Day 1, there are still some good choices available later.

Q: Thinking ahead here, but who are some Day 2-type LB prospects we should know about in the case that Anthony Hitchens does leave Dallas in free agency?

Brugler: BYU's Fred Warner is a name Cowboys fans should know with his ability to make an impact vs. both the pass and run. He's a true three-down player and would be great value on Day 2. And we know that the Cowboys aren't shy about rolling the dice with injury-risk guys, so keep an eye on Wisconsin LB Jack Cichy. He's a fantastic athlete with a quick processor and early-round potential. He missed all of 2017 with an ACL and won't work out at the combine, so the medicals will be crucial. Cichy could be a steal...if he stays healthy.

5 Tight end targets in the 2018 NFL Draft - Randy Gurzi, NFL Spin Zone
Will the Cowboys dabble in taking a tight end this year in the draft? Randy Gurzi lists five possible targets, including a familiar name we keep hearing about.

4. Troy Fumagalli, Wisconsin

Another guy who comes in looking like the real deal at tight end is Wisconsin’s Troy Fumagali. He’s similar in size to Hayden Hurst at 6-6 and 248 pounds and also offers up the same type of athleticism. The difference is the redshirt senior spent more time playing football and therefore should be slightly better prepared to play than Hurst early on.

Fumagalli comes from a school that prides itself on offensive linemen getting their job done, and their starting tight end learned from them in that regard. He’s no weak link when it comes to taking on defenders, and performed this job well for the Badgers.

That doesn’t mean he can’t play as a receiver though. Fumagalli displayed great route running and soft hands as a receiver. He finished his career with 135 receptions for 1,627 yards and seven touchdowns.

Law Nation breaks down his top five dream candidates for the Cowboys first round pick.

I like his list, but still cannot wrap my mind around taking another offensive linemen in the first round.

Should the Dallas Cowboys draft another offensive lineman? - Tim Kohut, The Landry Hat
What the Cowboys do at 19 is a big mystery, but with some real good offensive linemen coming out in this draft, could the team resort to something they've done three other times over the last seven years - take an offensive linemen in the first round.

With the 19th pick, the Cowboys could be in a prime spot to grab one of the draft’s premier guards in Isaiah Wynn (Georgia) James Daniels (Iowa) and Billy Price (Ohio State). Adding one of those guys to a line that already boasts two of the games best interior lineman in Zack Martin and Travis Frederick could give a major boost to the Cowboys’ run game and in turn, their entire offense.

It all could come down to how the talent is spread out through the draft.

NFL draft preview: How much depth is there at safety, and which guys can boost the Cowboys defense? - Dane Brugler, SportsDay
The safety position is lacking in talent compared to last season, so if the Cowboys are looking to the draft for a key contributor - it might be difficult. Dane Brugler discusses a few possible options for the team, including his spotlight player, Marcus Allen.

A senior captain, Allen spent most of his time near the line of scrimmage and collected 321 career tackles, which ranks No. 5 all-time in school history and just four tackles shy of the Cowboys' Sean Lee. While he doesn't have an imposing build, Allen is aggressive and hits much tougher than he looks, rarely giving ground or missing tackles. In coverage, Allen has the speed and smarts to handle simple assignments, but he clearly isn't as comfortable in reverse and his technique needs improvement to be a true three-down player.

Competing with Texas A&M's Armani Watts and West Virginia's Kyzir White to be the first senior safety drafted, Allen's high batting average as a tackler and fearless nature are why he will be on the Cowboys' radar as a possible day two target.

NFL Draft prospect to know: D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland - Cole Patterson, Blogging The Boys
Maryland's star receiver is a player whose name is coming up more and more (see what I did there?) in Cowboys draft circles. Our own Cole Patterson gives you a great scouting report on this possible WR target.

Moore totaled career highs across the board during his junior season this past fall. The speedster caught 80 passes (the most in a single season in University of Maryland history) for 1,033 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017. In addition to his playmaking skills out wide, Maryland utilized Moore in the punt return game — where he returned 15 punts for 153 yards, good for a 10.2 yard average. As you can see, Moore has the talent and the explosion to make an impact on both offense and on special teams.

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While wide receiver is a position of interest for Cowboys fans this offseason, will more help come via the draft? The Cowboys may look to free agency to fill this need instead, including a possible replacement for Dez Bryant?

Is Allen Robinson a Dez Bryant replacement? - Steven Mullenax, The Landry Hat
While some fans are ready to part ways with Dez Bryant, not many have considered how to quickly replace his ability on the field. It won't come cheap, but here is one option that has some fans excited...

Prior to his season-ending injury, the 6-foot-3, 211 pound Robinson was considered one of the top up-and-coming receivers in the NFL. The former second round pick out of Penn State posted 80 receptions for 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod. His 17.5 yards per catch was the second highest in the NFL among receivers targeted 100 or more times.

Just because he's a different name doesn't mean he's going to be the solution. Besides a high price tag, there are some other risks too.

Not only is Robinson coming off a major injury, but his catch percentage of 48.3% in 2016 is far worse than Bryant’s 52.3% from last season. So there would be lingering questions about trading one problem for another in this scenario.

5 free agents Dallas Cowboys could target at DL - Brandon George, SportsDay
The defensive end position is shaping up a lot better after the breakout season of DeMarcus Lawrence and potential of last year's first-round investment of Taco Charlton. But that doesn't mean the team won't look to free agency to add some depth. Brandon George offers up five possible targets, including a player the Cowboys have already shown interest in.

Kony Ealy, Jets (6-4, 275):

Kony Ealy has been a player the Cowboys have long admired. He was one of the club's pre-draft visitors to Valley Ranch in 2014.

And, in late August after the Patriots released Ealy, the Cowboys were one of several teams to put in a waiver claim for him. However, he was awarded to the Jets.

Ealy brings versatility. The defensive end can also slide inside to play at tackle at times. Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli prefers linemen in his eight-man rotation who can play at either end or tackle. That gives him more ways to attack the quarterback.

Ealy made history in Super Bowl 50 with three sacks for Carolina. Last year with the Jets, he never excelled, finishing with only one sack in 15 games. He did have a career-high nine pass breakups for the Jets. Ealy had 14 sacks over his previous three seasons with the Panthers.

How Dak Prescott could earn himself a mega deal like Jimmy Garoppolo - Staff, SportsDay
Despite only starting seven games, the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is now the highest paid player in the NFL. While that doesn't mean a whole lot to Cowboys fans, as Mike Doocy points out - it could set the stage for what lies ahead when it's time to pay Dak Prescott.

Mike Doocy: Now I think it becomes how bad a year would Dak have to have next season for him not to get a huge contract? I mean what are the expectations if a guy started seven games in his NFL career? And I know he went 5-0 this past year. Did you see the tweets yesterday comparing his five games to [former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's] last five games? Very comparable. Kaepernick was 1-4 in those five games... but that's a topic for another day.

When you look at what Dak most likely has coming to him, he's celebrating when he sees something like that. As you guys have mentioned, the market keeps going up because it is a quarterback star league, and there are exceptions to the rule, and Nick Foles is one of them, but for the most part when you look at the history of this league... every franchise feels like they need to find one.

10 things to know about Cowboys safety Xavier Woods, like his smarts and love of LeBron James - Staff, SportsDay
Get to know second year safety Xavier Woods with these ten interesting tidbits of information, including why he's so highly regarded despite his lack of size.

2. He's not big, but he's versatile

According to CBS Sports draft guru Dane Brugler: Woods possesses a versatile skillset that teams look for at the position. Against the run, he comes to balance well on the move and maintains a level strike zone in his tackle attempts, wrapping with strong hands and wrists to finish. His speed and tackling skills allow him to be a successful blitzer and also shows on special teams as well. In coverage, Woods does a nice job turning his head downfield to find the ball and make a play, using his body control and hand-eye coordination to undercut routes.

And ESPN also did a sports science lab experiment on Woods. Check out how Woods hip angular velocity is faster than former first round pick Kenny Vaccaro. You can’t argue with science.

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This weekend, the Cowboys lost a longtime member of their football family.

The father of Cowboys coach Jason Garrett passes away - Danny Phantom, Blogging The Boys
It was a sad day for the family of Jason Garrett as his father, Jim, passed away Friday night at the age of 87.

Thank you for everything, Coach Garrett.