Final Pre-Draft Thoughts

It has been 3 long months since the Cowboys ended their season. 3 months of sitting and waiting for something...anything interesting to happen. We got a few interesting offseason days when Ken Hamlin and Flozell Adams were released but those weren't exactly shocking moves. The timing was surprising but you knew both guys were on the chopping block. Outside of that there has been no player movement for the Cowboys.

That will finally change on Thursday. I should say hopefully on Thursday because you never know how the draft will play out. The Cowboys could easily trade out of the first round if no one they covet falls to them in the first round. I'm sure the outrage will be deafening if Jerry Jones elects to trade out of the first round but I won't be at all shocked if it happens.

Let's assume the Cowboys find someone on their draft board with a first round grade when the clock starts on the 27th pick. What would the perfect world scenario look like? Would it be a safety or a tackle? Dez Bryant? A defensive tackle? It seems like you could pick from about 10-15 players right now and have a good chance of being right on the pick.

I'm not overly concerned about any particular position. I do have some concern that Doug Free is the answer at left tackle but he has shown he can play on the other side of the line. So I have to give him the benefit of the doubt until he proves he can't get the job done. And something tells me the coaches think he is the answer at left tackle. And what about Alan Ball at safety? He actually had better stats than Ken Hamlin in his limited starting time at free safety. I think you can hide an average or slightly below average safety so getting one in the first round isn't a necessity. And don't forget that Michael Hamlin is still a potential future starter as well.

The needs that I can see on the roster include offensive line depth, defensive tackle depth, middle linebacker depth, free safety, cornerback depth, special teams returner, slot receiver, and maybe outside linebacker depending on how last years . Offensive line depth ranks as one of my top priorities as does depth at middle linebacker. You always have to draft secondary players because depth will always be an issue. But the rest of the "need" positions aren't mandatory draft needs.

I'm not going to target specific players in specific rounds, but here is what I am hoping the Cowboys get from the draft this year. A safety, at least one offensive lineman, a cornerback, a slot receiver/returner (hopefully Jordan Shipley), a middle linebacker, and a defensive tackle. I think some positions should be drafted higher than others, but I think you could justify any order as long as all of these needs are met.