2012 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys Covering All Bases with Pre-Draft Visits

It's now April and Dallas Cowboys fans are counting down the days to the NFL draft hoping the team is just as successful as it was in free agency. And while the draft itself is a three-day football fan's dream, the build-up is just as exciting.

In the past few days, and potentially in the weeks to come, the Cowboys held pre-draft visits for both their annual National and Dallas days. The list of prospects is growing, and when you analyze it further it shows the Cowboys' commitment to not only finding good football players but also staying consistent with their needs.

Historically, these visits have been a solid indicator of who the Cowboys eventually draft and it's also a chance to cover all their bases.

The list of National visitors consists of:

Offense

QB - None

RB - Doug Martin, Boise St.

OL - Cordy Glenn, Georgia, Amini Silatolu, Midwestern St., Peter Konz, Wisconsin, Jeff Allen, Illinois, Ronald Leary, Memphis

TE - None

WR - Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma

Defense

DL - Fletcher Cox, Miss. St., Chase Baker, Boise St.

LB - Courtney Upshaw, Alabama, Ronnell Lewis, Oklahoma, Korey Toomer, Idaho

CB - Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama, Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina, Casey Hayward, Vanderbilt, Chris Greenwood, Albion, Lionel Smith, Texas A&M

S - Mark Barron, Alabama, Harrison Smith, Notre Dame, D.J. Campbell, California

The list of National Day visitors shows the Cowboys are placing a heavy concentration on offensive line and cornerback while also looking at some outstanding safety prospects like Barron and Smith.

Despite the Cowboys' signing of two offensive linemen and committing major money to Brandon Carr in free agency, I still love the commitment to these two positions. Protecting Tony Romo will be paramount to this team's success in 2012 and the secondary must rebound from an absolutely dreadful year.

Doug Martin was a surprise on this list but it's a pleasant one.

With DeMarco Murray coming off a broken ankle and Felix Jones' durability a perpetual question, the chance to add Martin to this team could help in the short- and long-term, especially with Jones entering a contract year. An update to the Doug Martin visit from ESPNDallas.com has revealed that his visit was cancelled due to the storms in North Texas.

The Cowboys also attended the private workout of Peter Konz which is a good indicator that improving the center position ranks as a priority. He's a 6'5", 315-pound center who had an outstanding season at Wisconsin and someone who can push Phil Costa immediately. I'm not sure the Cowboys can afford another season of Costa's inconsistent snaps.

The Dallas Day visitors were highlighted by the following players with ties to the state of Texas:

Jamell Fleming, CB, Oklahoma, Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M, Kennan Robinson, LB, Texas, Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas, Tank Carder, LB, TCU, Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M and Ron Brooks, CB, LSU.

A very solid list of prospects, especially at the linebacker position. Adding either Robinson, Acho or Carder to the mix of Sean Lee, Bruce Carter, Dan Connor and Anthony Spencer would really make it a position of strength for the Cowboys

If the Cowboys were to add either Courtney Upshaw or Ronnell Lewis the same case would still exist.

Jamell Fleming and Ron Brooks could be second- and third-round targets should the Cowboys elect not to draft a cornerback in the first round. And Jeff Fuller is a big receiver that could potentially help fill the void created by Laurent Robinson.

The Cowboys approach to the draft should be no different than free agency.

The focus should be to remain aggressive in every round while looking for the best available players that will help this team succeed. The year-round process and the hard work that's involved in building the draft board will now be put to the test.

By covering all of their bases, the Cowboys should pass with flying colors.