Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft and Big Board: Updated Day 3 Predictions

The Dallas Cowboys made the splash of the second round of the 2016 NFL draft when they selected former Fighting Irish linebacker Jaylon Smith Friday night. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not averse to taking risks, and selecting Smith at the top of the second round is one of the riskiest picks he's made since he bought the team. 

The Cowboys weren't quite as exciting in the third round, as they picked former Cornhusker Maliek Collins. Collins is a great fit for defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli's defense. He gets upfield quickly and can invigorate the defense with some splash plays against the run and pass. 

The only problem with the Cowboys' draft thus far is that they haven't addressed their biggest need at defensive end. Luckily for Dallas, there are a plethora of quality pass-rushers still on the board. 

On the third day of the draft, you should expect the Cowboys to select a quarterback, at least one defensive end and players who will make an impact on special teams. 

Now, let's take a look at the top 100 prospects left in the draft and whom the Cowboys may pick on Day 3 of the NFL draft. 

Top-100 Big Board

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The Cowboys went with defense on Day 2 of the NFL draft, and the board sets up well for them to do that again on Day 3. With players such as Andrew Billings, Tyrone Holmes, Joshua Perry and Ronald Blair still available, the Cowboys should be able to add some talent to their defense if they want to. 

Also, the Cowboys are in a great position to draft their quarterback of the future with a player such as Connor Cook, Cardale Jones or Dak Prescott. 

With that in mind, take a look at the best 100 players remaining in the NFL draft. 

Dallas Cowboys Big Board

Rank	Player	Position	School
1	Andrew Billings	Nose Tackle	Baylor
2	Kenneth Dixon	Running Back	Louisiana Tech
3	Hassan Ridgeway	Under Tackle	Texas
4	Kentrell Brothers	Linebacker	Missouri
5	Christian Westerman	Offensive Guard	Arizona State
6	Matt Judon	Defensive End	Grand Valley State
7	Joshua Perry	Linebacker	Ohio State
8	Cardale Jones	Quarterback	Ohio State
9	Paul Perkins	Running Back	UCLA
10	Tyrone Holmes	Defensive End	Montana
11	Ronald Blair	Defensive End	Appalachian State
12	Devontae Booker	Running Back	Utah
13	Rashard Higgins	Wide Receiver	Colorado State
14	David Perkins	Defensive End	Illinois State
15	Alex Collins	Running Back	Arkansas
16	K.J. Dillon	Safety	West Virginia
17	Kenny Lawler	Wide Receiver	California
18	Peyton Barber	Running Back	Auburn
19	D.J. Reader	Nose Tackle	Clemson
20	Jalen Mills	Defensive Back	LSU
21	Evan Boehm	Center	Missouri
22	Jonathan Williams	Running Back	Arkansas
23	Jeremy Cash	Safety	Duke
24	Willie Henry	Under Tackle	Michigan
25	Kelvin Taylor	Running Back	Florida
26	Malcolm Mitchell	Wide Receiver	Georgia
27	Vernon Adams	Quarterback	Oregon
28	Daniel Braverman	Wide Receiver	Western Michigan
29	Ryan Smith	Cornerback	N.C. Central
30	Keith Marshall	Running Back	Georgia
31	Jatavis Brown	Linebacker	Akron
32	Charles Tapper	Defensive End	Oklahoma
33	Jordan Howard	Running Back	Indiana
34	Connor Cook	Quarterback	Michigan State
35	Joe Schobert	Linebacker	Wisconsin
36	Kyle Friend	Center	Temple
37	Connor McGovern	Offensive Guard	Missouri
38	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	Offensive Tackle	TCU
39	Sheldon Day	Defensive Tackle	Notre Dame
40	Jordan Payton	Wide Receiver	UCLA
41	Zack Sanchez	Cornerback	Oklahoma
42	Victor Ochi	Defensive End	Stony Brook
43	Darius Jackson	Running Back	Eastern Michigan
44	Joe Dahl	Offensive Line	Washington State
45	Kolby Listenbee	Wide Receiver	TCU
46	Pharoh Cooper	Wide Receiver	South Carolina
47	Antonio Morrison	Linebacker	Florida
48	B.J. Goodson	Linebacker	Clemson
49	Mike Thomas	Wide Receiver	Southern Mississippi
50	Keyarris Garrett	Wide Receiver	Tulsa
51	Vadal Alexander	Offensive Guard	LSU
52	Scooby Wright	Linebacker	Arizona
53	Jack Allen	Center	Michigan State
54	Kevin Hogan	Quarterback	Stanford
55	Dominique Alexander	Linebacker	Oklahoma
56	Tajae Sharpe	Wide Receiver	UMass
57	D.J. White	Cornerback	Georgia Tech
58	Rashard Robinson	Cornerback	LSU
59	Tyler Ervin	Running Back	San Jose State
60	Jonathan Jones	Cornerback	Auburn
61	Blake Martinez	Linebacker	Stanford
62	Aaron Burbridge	Wide Receiver	Michigan State
63	Dak Prescott	Quarterback	Mississippi State
64	Thomas Duarte	Tight End	UCLA
65	Maurice Canady	Cornerback	Virginia
66	Devon Cajuste	Wide Receiver	Stanford
67	Demarcus Robinson	Wide Receiver	Florida
68	Erik Striker	Linebacker	Oklahoma
69	Tyvis Powell	Safety	Ohio State
70	Denver Kirkland	Offensive Guard	Arkansas
71	Anthony Zettel	Defensive Lineman	Penn State
72	Jerell Adams	Tight End	South Carolina
73	Tavon Young	Cornerback	Temple
74	Josh Ferguson	Running Back	Illinois
75	Travis Feeney	Linebacker	Washington
76	Matt Ionnidis	Defensive Tackle	Temple
77	Deiondre' Hall	Cornerback	Northern Iowa
78	Landon Turner	Offensive Guard	North Carolina
79	Sebastian Tretola	Offensive Guard	Arkansas
80	Jared Norris	Linebacker	Utah
81	Derrick Kindred	Safety	TCU
82	Dadi Nicolas	Defensive End	Virginia Tech
83	Aaron Green	Running Back	TCU
84	Austin Blythe	Center	Iowa
85	Dan Vitale	Fullback	Northwestern
86	Dwayne Washington	Running Back	Washington
87	Brandon Allen	Quarternack	Arkansas
88	Jeff Driskel	Quarterback	Louisiana Tech
89	Tyler Higbee	Tight End	Western Kentucky
90	Ben Braunecker	Tight End	Harvard
91	Deon Bush	Safety	Miami
92	Terrance Smith	Linebacker	Florida State
93	Darius Latham	Defensive Tackle	Indiana
94	David Onyemata	Defensive Tackle	Manitoba
95	Soma Vainuku	Fullback	USC
96	Kalan Reed	Cornerback	Southern Mississippi
97	Matt Skura	Center	Duke
98	Joe Haeg	Offensive Tackle	North Dakota State
99	Fahn Cooper	Offensive Tackle	Ole Miss
100	Will Parks	Safety	Arizona

Round 4

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Round 4, No. 101 Pick: Connor Cook, Quarterback, Michigan State

Once thought of as a first-round pick, Connor Cook has taken a tumble in the 2016 NFL draft. Fortunately, the Cowboys get to take advantage of his drop and get a solid quarterback to develop for the future. 

Cook's fall is likely due to leadership concerns. Despite being a four-year starter, Cook was never voted as a permanent team captain, which raised the eyes of many evaluators. 

When he has a clean pocket, Cook is deadly accurate at all three levels of a defense. He has the arm talent to make all throws, and he understands how to read a defense. When he gets pressure in his face, his mechanics suffer, which causes a lot of errant throws. 

Cook is the perfect type of quarterback to sit behind Tony Romo and learn for a few years. Hopefully, Cook uses his draft position to motivate him to become a better and more technically sound quarterback. 

Round 4, No. 135 Pick (Compensatory): Matt Judon, Defensive End, Grand Valley State 

The Cowboys are finally able to address the defensive end position in the fourth round as they select Matt Judon. If you want speed and production on the edge, Judon is the perfect player for you. He led all of college football in sacks, and he ran a 4.73 40-yard dash despite weighing 273 pounds. 

Judon has a ton of pass-rush upside with his ability to utilize his speed and power coming off the edge. Judon fits in well as a left defensive end in the Cowboys' scheme, and he will help give the Cowboys a young and talented pass rush coming off the edge. 

He will have to adjust to the big jump in competition level, but Judon has an extremely high ceiling that has to be enticing to the Cowboys front office. 

Round 6

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Round 6, No. 189 Pick (from Oakland Raiders): Jatavis Brown, Linebacker, Akron

What he lacks in size (5'11", 227 lbs), Jatavis Brown makes up for in speed and instincts. Brown's speed and toughness would be a great fit on special teams for the Cowboys. 

Brown isn't just a special teamer, though. He has the ability to develop into a very good "Will" linebacker for the Cowboys. He understands how to play inside the construct of a defense, which is vital in Dallas' defensive scheme. 

Brown doesn't come from a big school and doesn't have great size, but he has the technique, heart and toughness to make it in the NFL. 

Round 6, No. 212 Pick (Compensatory): D.J. Reader, Nose Tackle, Clemson

D.J. Reader is one of the most underrated players in this entire draft class. The former Clemson Tiger is one of the few nose tackles with the strength to hold up against double-teams and the quickness to penetrate his gap.  

Reader does a great job of playing with good pad level and hip snap, which allows him to win the leverage battle against opposing interior offensive linemen. For a man of his size (6'3", 327 lbs), Reader has a good gas tank that allows him to play well deep into games. 

Reader would be able to step in and provide depth at nose tackle from day one with the ability to become the regular starter down the road. 

Round 6, No. 216 Pick (Compensatory): Rodney Coe, Nose Tackle, Akron

It may be unorthodox for the Cowboys to pick two nose tackles in a row, but while Reader is ready to contribute now, Rodney Coe is the type of player you try to stash on the practice squad so that he can develop and contribute a few years down the road. 

Coe is a former running back who shows incredible athleticism on the defensive line. He's not very refined with his technique, but he has the potential to become a penetrating nose tackle for the Cowboys defense. 

Coe is a fascinating project who has the opportunity to develop into a contributor down the road. 

Round 6, No. 217 Pick (Compensatory): Deon King, Linebacker, Norfolk State

Deon King is unlikely to ever contribute on defense; however, he has the potential to be a great special teams player for the Cowboys. 

His lack of size and elite athleticism limits his ability to contribute on defense, but his toughness and intelligence will work well on special teams. He has the ability to fight through blocks and is a great tackler.

The Cowboys hope that King develops into a Danny McCray type of player who can be a leader on special teams.