Cowboys: Boom-or-Bust Prospects Dallas Should Gamble on in NFL Draft

One of the hardest parts of the NFL draft is weighing risk versus reward of every prospect. Furthermore, some players have higher risks associated with them but may also have huge rewards if they pan out. The Dallas Cowboys will have to make decisions on these types of players throughout the draft.  

The Dallas Cowboys have been known for the right-kind-of-guy, or RKG, philosophy for years, as they tend to shy away from players with off-field concerns. While that has built a great locker room with a lot of top-notch leadership from players like Jason Witten, this may be a year where the Cowboys take another stab at some players who don't have the best off-field history, much like they did when they selected Dez Bryant. 

Other boom-or-bust prospects are the ones who have all the physical gifts but haven't shown the understanding of technical nuance to put it all together yet. These players usually turn out into great players or just don't pan out—there doesn't appear to be much ground in between. 

With that in mind, let's take a look at some boom-or-bust players the Cowboys should take a chance on in the 2015 NFL draft. 

Marcus Peters, CB, Washington

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One of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects this year is former Washington cornerback Marcus Peters.

The Huskies dismissed in early November after numerous squabbles with coaches. There were numerous incidents of his yelling at coaches and not taking blame for his mistakes; however, without inside knowledge, it is impossible to know just how deep the issue goes with Peters. 

In between the lines, there is not a better cornerback prospect in the draft. Peters has the size (6'0", 198 pounds), speed, feet and ball skills that you covet in a cornerback. If didn't have all the off-field concerns, he could possibly be a top-10 overall pick in the draft; he is that talented. 

Nevertheless, he does have myriad character concerns, which will cause him to get picked much later than his talent suggests. 

This will put the Cowboys in an interesting predicament because they could use a cornerback like Peters who perfectly fits their defense. However, he doesn't fit their right-kind-of-guy philosophy and could possibly develop into a divisive player in the locker room. 

In prior years, the Cowboys wouldn't touch Peters with a 10-foot pole, but if he is available in the second round, they should pull the trigger and pick him. They have a strong locker room that can handle players like Peters and force him to buy into the team's philosophy. 

It's time the Cowboys took a page out of the New England Patriots playbook and trust their locker room to take on players with some character concerns. 

Max Valles, DE/OLB, Virginia

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While Marcus Peters has a lot of character concerns that make him a risk to draft, Max Valles' issues are all on the field. 

Athletically, Valles is everything you could want from a defensive end or outside linebacker. He has fantastic upfield burst, flexibility and closing speed. He has the ability to make every play on the field. However, he hasn't been able to do that with any regularity.

One of his coaches believes he is on precipice of becoming an excellent player, per Doug Doughty of The Roanoke Times. "Based on the improvement and development he showed the past two years, I felt Max Valles was a player who could really benefit from playing another year of college football," said London. "I believe he was on the verge of blossoming into a dominant player."

Valles best attributes at the moment are his athleticism and his innate sense of getting his hands in passing lanes to deflect balls.

Outside of those attributes, he is a mess. He doesn't have the strength to hold up at the point of attack, doesn't know how to utilize his length and hands to maximize his frame and doesn't get off blocks with any regularity. 

Luckily, this isn't due to the fact that Valles is a bad player; it is because he is still inexperienced, as he has played only two years of collegiate football. 

If the Cowboys do take a shot at Valles in the third or fourth round, they would have to be patient with him as he isn't ready to make an impact on anything but special teams right away. However, he has huge upside as a defensive end or even a "Sam" linebacker in the Cowboys scheme. 

Not many players have the ceiling that Valles has, and with the coaching staff the Cowboys have assembled, they should feel confident they can get him to reach his potential. 

Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia

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Everyone knows how talent Todd Gurley is on the field. He has the combination of explosion, power and elusiveness that the NFL covets in a running back. 

However, he tore his ACL in November, which is scary for a player who relies on his leg drive and power like Gurley does. 

The great thing about drafting Gurley is that it does not preclude the Cowboys from franchising Murray or re-signing him to a short contract. Dallas could essentially redshirt Gurley during his rookie season so that he can completely recover from his knee injury and be 100 percent when he returns. 

Moreover, the Cowboys would be able to use what Murray has left, and when they are done, they would have one of the most talented running backs in recent history waiting in the wings. 

Of course, they could just let Murray walk this offseason, draft Gurley, not give him the extra time to recover and plug him in when he is ready his rookie year. 

The reality of the situation is that running backs that are as talented as Gurley is don't come around every year, and the fact that Dallas could get him at a reduced price makes it even more enticing. 

Quinten Rollins, CB, Miami (OH)

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Not often do you see a guy who played one sport for most of his college career transition to another sport and play at a high level; however, that is exactly what Quinten Rollins did. 

Rollins was a standout basketball player at the University of Miami (Ohio), but he decided to try his hand at football during his redshirt senior. Despite the fact that he never played cornerback, even in high school, he was one of the most productive cornerbacks in the nation. 

In his one and only season as a college football player, he recorded 72 tackles (four for loss), seven interceptions and nine pass deflections on his way to winning the MAC Defensive Player of the Year award. 

Rollins doesn't look like a player with only one year of college experience as he routinely makes veteran plays. He has great feet and fluid hips to turn and run with receivers, but he also has a physicality that you wouldn't expect from a guy who was mainly a basketball player up until last year. 

Having said that, you still see some warts in his game due to inexperience. He doesn't have great hand positioning in press coverage and doesn't look comfortable in zone coverage yet, but he has all the tools to get better in those areas. 

If you look at how much he improved throughout the year, there has to be a lot of optimism that he will improve by leaps and bounds once he gets in the NFL. That is the reason the Cowboys should take a chance on him in the first or second round. 

Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M

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Cedric Ogbuehi has the unfortunate distinction of having not one but two of the risks that were associated with prospects earlier in this article. Not only is he a player who doesn't play as well on the field as someone with his size and athleticism should, but he is also coming off a torn ACL he suffered in late December. 

This likely means that Ogbuehi will have to sit out his entire rookie season as he recovers from the injury; however, things were not going that great for him prior to the injury. Ogbuehi struggled throughout the season, getting beaten by defenders who didn't have near the talent that he possess.

His biggest problem is that he struggles to time his punch, which allows defenders to gain leverage and beat him with myriad moves. Furthermore, he doesn't generate much movement in the run game as he chooses to wall off defenders instead of push them back. 

Nevertheless, Dallas should consider drafting Ogbuehi on Day 3 of the draft, because he has the size (6'5", 300 pounds), athleticism and footwork that you want in an offensive tackle. He would be a great player to groom to replace Doug Free once he leaves, assuming Dallas re-signs him this offseason. 

Ogbuehi may be a project, but he is a project that is worth developing.