Dallas Cowboys Primer for 2017 NFL Draft
The NFL draft is almost here and it's time for a draft primer for the Dallas Cowboys.
This will be the 57th draft in the team's history. Dallas owns the 28th pick in the draft, a spot they've only picked from once. The last time the Cowboys made a selection from pick 28 was in 1978 when they drafted defensive tackle Larry Bethea from Michigan State.
Without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the Cowboys and the draft heading into one of the most exciting events of the season.
Draft Selections
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The Cowboys have seven picks in the 2017 draft, but they are without their fifth-round pick as they traded it in 2015 for quarterback Matt Cassell.
Here are all of the Cowboys' draft picks and their trade value, according to the DraftTrek trade chart:
Round 1: Pick 28 (660 points)
Round 2: Pick 60 (300 points)
Round 3: Pick 92 (132 points)
Round 4: Pick 133 (39 points)
Round 6: Pick 211 (6.6 points)
Round 7: Pick 228 (1 point)
Round 7: Pick 246 (1 point)
Not having the fifth-round pick hurts, so it won't be surprising if the team tries to move back in one of the earlier rounds to recoup a pick in that round.
What isn't listed above is that the Cowboys are scheduled to receive four compensatory picks in 2018. If they want to move around in the 2017 draft, they could dip into next year's draft for more picks.
Team Needs
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The Cowboys have many needs on their roster, specifically on defense. However, none of their needs are so pressing that the team will be forced to select a player at a position in the first round.
While there isn't a pressing need, there are 10 different positions I could see the Cowboys selecting in the draft.
Here is a list of the Cowboys' top needs in order, heading into the 2017 NFL draft:
1. Cornerback: Top two cornerbacks left in free agency. Need to add one starter in this draft.
2. Right Defensive End: With Randy Gregory's suspension, there isn't a true right defensive end on the roster.
3. Safety: Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox are gone. They need to add depth in the secondary.
4. Right Tackle: Doug Free's retirement surprised the Cowboys. Chaz Green is the starter for now.
5. Linebacker: Jaylon Smith is a wildcard for the Cowboys, but they could use depth at the position.
6. Quarterback: Dak Prescott and Kellen Moore are the only quarterbacks on the roster.
7. Running Back: The Cowboys lost Lance Dunbar in free agency and need to add a passing back.
8. Kick Returner: Dallas hasn't returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 2009 nor a punt since 2013.
9. Wide Receiver: Brice Butler and Lucky Whitehead could easily be upgraded late.
10. Defensive Tackle: Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli could always use a new toy in the middle of the defense.
30 Official Visitors
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Each team is allowed to bring in and host 30 players on official visits before the draft. While they may not work out for the team, they can visit with coaches, talk to other players, etc.
Here is the list of official visits I have been able to confirm with the help of KD Drummond of CowboysWire:
Defensive Line
• Derek Barnett, Tennessee
• Tarell Basham, Ohio
• Tyus Bowser, Houston
• Taco Charlton, Michigan
• Charles Harris, Missouri
• Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova
• Malik McDowell, Michigan State
• Takkarist McKinley, UCLA
• Derek Rivers, Youngstown St.
• T.J. Watt, Wisconsin
Cornerbacks
• Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado
• Gareon Conley, Ohio State
• Treston Decoud, Oregon State
• Shaquill Griffin, Central Florida
• Marlon Humphrey, Alabama
• Adoree' Jackson, USC
• Damontae Kazee, San Diego State
• Kevin King, Washington
• Fabian Moreau, UCLA
• Teez Tabor, Florida
• Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson
• Tre'Davious White, LSU
• Quincy Wilson, Florida
Safeties
• Justin Evans, Texas A&M
• Obi Melifonwu, Connecticut
• Tedric Thompson, Colorado
• Marcus Williams, Utah
• Xavier Woods, Louisiana Tech
Wide Receivers
• Curtis Samuel, Ohio State
• JuJu Smith-Schuster, USC
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Draft Trends
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One of the biggest draft trends the Cowboys currently have is that they love to select players from big college programs, specifically in the first round.
Assistant director of player personnel Will McClay spoke about why the team prefers to draft players from big schools in 2014:
"The difference is if you're from a small school and you're coming into this situation you might not be ready for the bright lights. The guys who have been through playing those games where there are 90,000 people in the stands, they've had those situations there, they'll [be] a little bit [more] used to it. If they got the same physical traits, I'm going to go with the guy whose been there before, [over] the guy who you got to wait to come up.
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Over the past seven years, all of the team's first-round picks have come from a big school. Not only did they come from a Power Five Conference, most came from winning programs.
Here is the list of their past seven first-round selections:
2010: Oklahoma State
2011: USC
2012: LSU
2013: Wisconsin
2014: Notre Dame
2015: UConn
2016: Ohio State
The Cowboys don't hate small-school kids, but they clearly prefer drafting players from big schools. As you can see from their recent first-round picks, the bigger the school, the better.
Dallas will break ties in favor of big schools because of the experience of playing in front of large crowds.
1st-Round Targets
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Despite picking at the bottom of the first round, it's not too difficult to create a short list of players the team will likely consider.
By matching players who would fill needs and by the team's pre-draft interest, we can create a realistic group of targets for Dallas in the first round.
Here is a shortlist of players the Cowboys could target at pick 28 in the first round in the order I expect them to be ranked:
1. DE T.J. Watt, Wisconsin
2. DE Tyus Bowser, Houston
3. DE Charles Harris, Missouri
4. CB Kevin King, Washington
5. CB Adoree' Jackson, USC
I fully expect T.J. Watt to be the Cowboys' first-round selection if he is on the board at pick 28. He hits all of their thresholds as a right defensive end, and his athleticism and motor would be a nice fit with Marinelli. He's somewhat new to the position and will need time to develop, but he's got all the tools to be a 10-sack-per-year pass-rusher.
A dark horse to jump Watt may be Houston's Tyus Bowser, but he's unlikely to fall to the Cowboys at pick 28. He has elite movement skills and pure athleticism, but he wasn't asked to rush much at Houston. However, his ceiling may be the highest of the five listed players.
Like Tyus Bowser, Charles Harris is another edge-rusher I don't expect to fall to the bottom of the first round. He is more experienced at rushing the quarterback but doesn't have the same tools as Bowser or Watt. But his repertoire of counter moves and ability to bend around the edge will likely make him a top-20 pick.
Kevin King and Adoree' Jackson both make sense for the Cowboys if their preferred edge-rusher is off the board by the end of the first round. While the team would love to select a pass-rusher in the first round, King and Jackson both are first-round talents at cornerback and could challenge for a starting job in their rookie seasons.
The one name that wasn't mentioned was Michigan State's Malik McDowell. While he has a ton of natural talent, he may not be a great fit in the Dallas defense as the team possesses multiple left defensive ends. However, his talent may be too great to pass up if he were to fall all the way to pick 28.
Late-Round Targets
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The Cowboys are one of the best teams in the league at finding starters and role players in the late rounds. Anthony Brown, Geoff Swaim, and Dwayne Harris are players who come to mind when discussing some of the team's late-round contributors.
Not only does Dallas typically grab one player in the late rounds who contributes, they typically thrive after the draft with players who weren't selected. Numerous names, such as Cole Beasley, La'el Collins, Dan Bailey and more have become starters after not being selected at all during the draft.
The guys drafted by the Cowboys late are usually players they work out or visit with before the draft. A majority of their undrafted free agents are players who participate in Dallas Day at the stadium.
Here is a comprehensive list of late-round players the Cowboys have shown a pre-draft interest in. Don't be surprised if a couple of these players don't find their way on to the roster during or after the draft:
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