2018 BTB mock draft challenge: Create your own Dallas Cowboys mock draft

Do you have a little time to spare for some mock draft fun this weekend? If so, you’re in luck, because BTB has got a challenge for you: create a Dallas Cowboys mock draft.

We've been doing these challenges since 2012, and we're bringing it back this year by popular demand.

Over to you: Go ahead and create your mock draft for the Dallas Cowboys, then submit it for a peer review by your fellow Blogging The Boys members. The BTB community will hand out recommendations for those mocks they like the most, and the winners might be put to a final vote some time next week.

But wait. There are rules. You can’t just pick whatever players you like.

The Rules

• We will use the Great Blue North big board from April 19, 2018 as the basis for all mock drafts. We will assume that all draft-eligible players will be available at exactly the spot GBN has them in. You don’t like where GBN has a player ranked? Go complain to someone who cares.
• Dallas owns the no. 19, 50, 81, 116, 137, 171, 192, 193, 208 and 236 picks. You pick at your exact spot or anywhere below that.
• You are allowed only one trade-down. The value you give up in the trade-down must be equal to or greater than the value you receive, e.g. your 19th (875 pts) could get you Tennessee's 25th and 89th (865 pts).
• You may however trade up as often as you want. Again though, the value you give up in the trade up must be equal to or greater than the value you receive.
• Mocks that do not meet the criteria outlined above will be deleted, as will any Fanspeak mock. Nobody wants to waste their time on mocks that don’t fit the bill.
• You can find the full 2018 NFL draft order here, along with the draft value chart immediately below it, which will make this exercise a lot easier.

Post your mock in the comments section below. As you read through the mocks other BTB members have posted, look for mocks that you like and recommend them (just press rec at the bottom of the comment box). And don’t be stingy with your rec’s. It’s more fun for everybody involved if we have a high rec’ count.

Also, give us a rationale for your picks - mocks that have some extra content beyond a simple list of ten player names usually get more rec’s, and are more fun to read.

To get this challenge started, I’ll submit the following mock, which has one trade-down and two trade-ups, giving me nine picks in total.

TRADE DOWN: 19th (875 pts) for Tennessee's 25th + 89th (875 pts for 865 pts)

Rd 1. (25) Harold Landry, DE, Boston College. The Cowboys get a premier pass rusher who can lock down the right defensive end spot, allowing Taco Charlton to move to left end and spell DeMarcus Lawrence - and provide insurance against Lawrence leaving in free agency next year.

Rd 2. (72) Nathan Shepherd, DT, Fort Hays State. Shepherd is that elusive 1-technique “with 3-technique” traits the Cowboys are looking for. At 6-4, 315 he's plenty big enough to plug whatever imaginary hole exists in the middle of the Cowboys run defense (the Cowboys allowed a league-average 4.1 yards per attempt on the ground). But more importantly, he'll help create pressure up the middle.

TRADE UP: 81st + 137th (220 pts) for Oakland's 75th (215 pts.)

Rd 3. (75) Braden Smith, OG, Auburn. The lamentations of Cowboys Nation finally subside as Dallas gets its left guard of the future.

Rd 3. (95) Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech. With elite speed and ball skills, Edmunds will fit nicely at free safety for the Cowboys, even if he'll likely need season or two to be a productive player in the NFL. Edmunds skipped a grade in high school and will enter the league at age 20, so he'll get all the time to learn.

TRADE UP: 116th + 193rd (75.8 pts) for Cincinnatti's 112th (70 pts.)

Rd 4. (112) Fred Warner, ILB, BYU. The Cowboys move up a little to get themselves a replacement for Anthony Hitchens.

Rd. 5 (178) Daurice Fountain, WR, Northern Iowa

Rd. 6 (210) Marcel Ateman, WR, Oklahoma

True to their word, the Cowboys double-dip at wide receiver with two late-round propects they brought in for Top 30 visit

Rd 6. (232) Kenny Young, ILB, UCLA. The team double-dips at linebacker by taking a late flyer on Young, who'll work primarily on special teams and provide depth at the position.

Rd 7. (305) Ito Smith, RB, Southern Miss. With the final pick, the Cowboys take another Top 30 visitor who they hope will turn out to be that elusive COP back.

Your turn.