Dallas Cowboys 2012 NFL Mock Draft, Version 1.0

This past season showed us that the Dallas Cowboys have a lot of holes to fill on their team, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Some players—such as Terence Newman, Keith Brooking, and maybe even Bradie James—are past their primes and should be cut loose in the offseason.  Others—like Alan Ball—should never have had a roster spot to begin with. 

Regardless, this is without a doubt one of the most important drafts—and offseasons, for that matter—for this franchise in regards to the team's future success.  Tony Romo isn't getting any younger, and that window of opportunity only stays open for so long.  Failing to produce quality players in this draft will set the Cowboys back for years. 

Free Agency

Before the draft even begins, the Cowboys will need to shore up their roster a bit through free agency. 

The biggest free agent name this year will be Mario Williams.  The Texans' converted outside linebacker went down early this season to a knee injury, but that didn't stop the Texans defense from finishing as the second-ranked defense in the NFL.  Williams' replacement, rookie Brooks Reed, had a solid year, finishing with 45 tackles, six sacks and two fumbles recovered.  Williams is going to be looking for more money than the Texans may be willing to give, especially with such a capable/cheaper replacement already in-house.

With Anthony Spencer becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Cowboys should let him walk if they can acquire the services of Williams.  Even with the high asking price, Williams would be well worth the money.  With roughly $20 million in cap room, the team would have enough to make the deal and still be able to complete any other necessary transactions. 

Releasing CB Terence Newman, which seems a given after his poor play this season, will free up even more cap space.  Signing Williams would make his pairing with DeMarcus Ware one of the most feared in the NFL.  Fans are already salivating over the potential of this dynamic duo wreaking havoc on opposing teams.  

Safety is another area of need, and in a relatively weak safety class the Cowboys would be best suited to find their next starter in free agency.  Abram Elam was OK, but didn't really make any plays all season long.  He was pretty much forgotten, which is both good and bad, but the Cowboys need a safety who can be a playmaker. 

I think Tyvon Branch leads the list of free-agent safeties this offseason, but I have a hard time believing Oakland would let him walk unless he chooses to do so on his own.  If the Cowboys cannot get Branch, LaRon Landry from the Redskins would be a viable option at the right price.

Re-signing WR Laurent Robinson should go without saying.  The Cowboys need Robinson. 

First Round: Peter Konz, Center, Wisconsin

With the 14th pick in the first round, the Cowboys should be in position to draft one of many quality players that will be available to them.  Addressing their defensive needs, in particular the secondary, is certainly a priority.  However, so is fixing their offensive line.  Jerry Jones went high last year with an offensive lineman, selecting Tyron Smith ninth overall, and it paid off. 

The Cowboys are set for the next decade at left tackle once they swap the positions of Smith and Doug Free this offseason as is expected.  They should follow suit and set themselves up on the interior of the line as well.  Peter Konz will help solidify the middle of their offensive line and open up holes for DeMarco Murray for years to come.  After the struggles of Phil Costa this season, this is a position of need.

Scouting report

Konz has great size for a center and uses all of his 315 pounds to his advantage. Whether he is in pass protection, making calls along the line or bum-rushing defensive linemen as a run-blocker, there aren't many holes in his game.

Wisconsin has produced a ton of great offensive line prospects over the years and Konz is another prospect who will fulfill that tradition. When the Badgers played Michigan State, he played very well against fellow 2012 NFL draft defensive tackle prospect Jerel Worthy. Depending upon the statistician, Konz pancaked him as well. Those games against comparable NFL talent are what scouts really like to watch, and from that film alone, he should be able to impress.

As far as his technique, he does an excellent job of finding any blitzing linebackers, releasing from a double-team and sliding into position to make a block. His run-blocking is great and, if need be, he could fill in at guard for most NFL teams. Konz does well to find the middle linebacker on every play and very rarely is Wisconsin's line caught off-guard. He is able to quickly create running lanes up the middle by exploding into defenders and knocking them off their pursuit angles.

Watch a video draft analysis of Peter Konz here.

Second Round: Stephon Gilmore, Cornerback, South Carolina

It was painfully obvious this season that the Cowboys need to upgrade their secondary.  Terence Newman is a shell of what he used to be and will more than likely be let go in the offseason.  The Cowboys need to find a starting quality corner in the draft who can play opposite of Mike Jenkins.  Drafting Stephon Gilmore will go a long way toward upgrading that unit.

Scouting report

Gilmore has good physical tools. He has tremendous height for a corner (6’1"), solid bulk, and decent speed for his size. He also has good strength. However, he isn’t the most fluid athlete changing directions and he takes a while to reach top speed, which can occasionally hurt him on the deep ball when he is trying to recover.

Gilmore is excellent in man coverage. He displays ideal route-recognition skills, and he uses his strength and physicality to dominate in press man coverage. He also uses his hands well to prevent separation and reroute receivers in press coverage. SEC quarterbacks rarely look his way in man coverage.

Gilmore is a natural in zone coverage. He is one of the most instinctive corners I’ve ever seen. He is a natural at reading the quarterback’s eyes, he has a sixth sense of knowing what receivers, if any, are running through his zone even if he is staring at the quarterback (probably just great peripheral vision), and he is always in position to make a play on the receiver. He is also disciplined in coverage.

Gilmore has great instincts and knowledge of the game. He isn’t fooled by play actions or trick plays, he has ideal discipline in coverage allowing him to be there to make a play and he has a nose for the football. He has a great knowledge of the game that allows him to read offenses and send signals to other defenders, and his on-field awareness and intelligence is fantastic.

A great example of this can be seen early in the 2010 game against Georgia. Gilmore intentionally did a stutter step with his feet before the play without going into the neutral zone and successfully tricked a receiver into a false start. He also makes sure to disguise his role in the defense’s coverage scheme, often moving farther off the receiver or getting into position for press man after the quarterback has done his pre-snap reads and is about to snap the ball.

Something that I also saw with Gilmore is underrated versatility. To start, he is probably the best blitzing cornerback I have ever seen. He disguises his blitz brilliantly, he does a good job of using his hands and quickness to shed off blocks, and he hits the quarterback quickly enough so the quarterback doesn’t have time to get rid of the football if/when Gilmore sheds his block. He also shows run-stopping ability, and he always does a good job when playing a deep zone (mainly in Cover 3), which makes me think if he doesn’t do a great job at corner in the NFL (which I doubt will happen), he could have an effective career at safety.

He also is South Carolina’s punt returner, which shows he has some explosiveness and power with the ball in his hands (Admittedly, he isn’t a great punt returner.) Also, in the Florida State game, South Carolina used him as a Wildcat quarterback for a few plays in the fourth quarter, and he was brilliant. He played quarterback in high school and threw a perfectly accurate 29-yard pass to Alshon Jeffery in the drive, and he did a good job of running the football. Don’t be surprised to see Gilmore play in Wildcat formations every once in a while in the NFL.

Gilmore’s biggest issue is a lack of ball skills. He doesn’t accelerate quickly enough to jump routes, and he has short arms that can make it difficult to deflect passes. However, he rarely drops potential interceptions.

Watch a video draft analysis of Stephon Gilmore here.

Third Round: Derek Wolfe, Defensive End/Tackle, Cincinnati

Kenyon Coleman was a big disappointment at defensive end for the Cowboys this season.  They need an upgrade on the D-line, and Derek Wolfe has starting-quality potential.  Sean Lissemore made the most of his limited snaps this season, though, and will most likely open the season as the starter.

Scouting report

Derek Wolfe was always a solid player but has turned in an elite senior season, which has turned him into a late second-day, early third-day prospect. 

While he can play in both a 4-3 and 3-4, Wolfe would be much more productive in a 3-4 scheme.  Wolfe has a great motor and uses his hands very well.  He is more of a pass-rusher than run-stuffer but can hold his own against the run.

Wolfe needs to get functionally stronger to hold at the base of the attack because he’s not going to be a pass rusher in a 34.  Teams needing more pressure from their 3-4 lineman would be wise to use a second-round pick on him, such as the Jets, Bills, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers, Cowboys, Packers and 49ers.

Watch a Derek Wolfe highlight video here.

Fourth Round: David Paulson, Tight End, Oregon

If Kenyon Coleman was a disappointment in one season, Martellus Bennett is comparable to the sinking of the Titanic over his entire career in Dallas.  For someone with such massive potential, he failed in every way to live up to the hype—easily a bust for where he was drafted in the second round.  The Cowboys will need to upgrade at tight end, and David Paulson could be just the man for the job. 

Scouting report

Paulson has decent height and decent size for these new hybrid-breed pass-catching tight ends in the NFL with good hands. He mirrors the defender well in the run game and catches the ball well in traffic. Despite his less-than-stellar athleticism, Paulson does a good job once the ball is in his hands and is a high-effort player. He could be used as a H-back kind of tight end.

Paulson isn’t the greatest athlete in the world, but he’s a willing blocker and he just seems to have a knack to make some clutch plays. Paulson isn’t supremely dynamic and, compared to the other athletes on Oregon, looks like he’s almost in slow motion, but he’s a decent athlete. I don’t know if he’s a a sure thing as a No. 1 TE, but he’s got a chance to develop into a tight end, but is probably ideally suited as a No. 2 tight end

Watch a video breakdown of David Paulson against Oregon State here.

Fifth Round: Trumaine Johnson, Cornerback/Safety, Montana

Replacing Alan Ball and Frank Walker on the depth chart at cornerback is a must for the Cowboys.  Trumaine Johnson has great intangibles and skills.  If he can live up to his potential, he could be a steal as a fifth-round pick.

Scouting report

Johnson is a tall, good-looking prospect with some natural girth to his frame without being bulky. He is still lean enough in his lower half to turn a run, possesses good length and overall strength for the position as well and has an ideal frame to be a press cover man. Johnson is a solid tackler in the run game who isn't afraid to come downhill and takes good angles into contact. However, at times he will get caught flat-footed and is slow to shoot on ball-carriers, allowing them to run around him. However, he is a solid striker who has an explosive element to his game and will wrap on contact.

Johnson looks like a low-4.5/high-4.4 guy and runs well for his size. He showcases the ability to be physical in coverage, and when asked to get a bump on receivers down the field in Cover 2 he does a nice job adjusting his drop depending on the leverage and getting a good punch on receivers while staying balanced in his drop.

However, he was arrested for trying to break up a party back in October and does have some character concerns attached to his name.

Impression: Johnson is a talented kid who physically/athletic reminds me a lot of Jimmy Smith (Baltimore Ravens). Now, he's not as experienced as a pressman as Smith was, but has the same type of upside and can be a similar player if he commits himself fully to the game at the next level.

Watch a video breakdown of Trumaine Johnson here.

Sixth Round: Chandler Harnish, Quarterback, Northern Illinois

With Jon Kitna undoubtedly retiring, the Cowboys are in need of a third quarterback behind incumbent starter Tony Romo and would-be backup Stephen McGee.  I think McGee showed enough in his game against the Eagles this season to warrant a backup spot to Romo, but the Cowboys would be well served to draft a quarterback as insurance, just in case McGee doesn't pan out the way the team hopes he will. 

Scouting report

There's a ton of upside with Harnish.  A four-year starter for NIU that has a ton of athletic ability, Harnish's promising skill is his ability to create plays with his feet.  His athleticism is through the roof.  He also has a big arm that is capable of making any/every throw necessary in the NFL and consistently throws into tight windows.

However, the mental side of his game has yet to catch up with the physical.  He very rarely goes through his progressions and has a tendency to lock onto his first option.  If the first option is covered he takes off.  He will need a lot of time to develop into a starting quarterback in the NFL, and is reminiscent of Dan LeFevour.

The bottom line is that Harnish brings a ton of physical tools to the game that could intrigue scouts from a developmental standpoint, but he's four-year starter that will need time to master an NFL playbook.  However, he may be worth the risk.

Watch a video breakdown of Chandler Harnish versus Ball State here.

Seventh Round: Chris Marve, Inside Linebacker, Vanderbilt

With the should-be departures of Keith Brooking and Bradie James, the Cowboys are going to need depth at inside linebacker.  Their starters are set in Sean Lee and Bruce Carter.  Chris Marve would be no more than a special teams guy at best. 

Scouting report

A tough kid who is the leader of the Vanderbilt defense, Marve is instinctive inside and plays the game with a fire and has the willingness to fight through pain and be effective when not at 100 percent. Marve displays good instincts inside and reads and reacts well to the football, picking his way through traffic and exhibiting a natural burst when asked to attack downhill and take on the lead guy.

He isn't a real stack-and-shed backer, but he plays with natural leverage, can create a pop for himself and anchors with some consistency when taking on lead blocks. However, he is much better suited to slip blocks/run around them inside. Marve looks a bit tight and struggles to consistently keep himself clean, taking himself out of plays at times trying to avoid blocks and looking limited to more of a run-and-hit scheme.  He gets washed out easily versus linemen who reach him at the second level and isn't real long armed when trying to disengage.

Marve showcases only average range in pursuit, but he plays faster because of his read-and-react ability and seems to always be around the football. He looks like a 4.8 guy with solid tackling, though he's not the most overpowering guy and will slide off ball-carriers when trying to shed and make a play through the hole. Nevertheless, Marve breaks down well in a phone booth, but will overrun in space.

Marve looks comfortable in zone coverage, keeps his feet under him in his drop, re-directs well laterally and exhibits a burst out of his breaks in pursuit. However, h needs to do a better job feeling routes develop around him in zone and keeping his head on a swivel, especially on those underneath crossers. He is physical off the line in man coverage and keeps his feet under him, maintaining balance and extending his arms well. He never looks overextended and can make it tough for backs/tight ends to separate initially when trying to release into their routes.

Marve is a natural leader and plays with a passion for the game. His size is the one negative to his game and he is a bit tight and lacks great range. He is a classic overachiever who could get a look late as a reserve only.

Watch a video breakdown of Chris Marve versus South Carolina.