Cowboys 7 Round Mock Draft
So the day has finally arrived and sad to say I’m a little deflated for the draft. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that it starts on Thursday, and is spread out. I’d like to protest, but I just can’t stay away from it. So I’ve released my final mock drafts and articles, but today I thought I’d release just 7 picks plus a free agent for the Cowboys. I’m not going to forecast trades, and will be realistic to if that player will be there for that pick. Please also join us tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday for wall to wall coverage of the draft on Underthearches.
Round 1 – Charles Brown – Offensive Tackle – USC
Let me first go on record and say I don’t think the Cowboys will pick in this spot. I have a feeling they will trade out of it. Some talk has gone into the Cowboys trading their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd for the Niners 13th pick and the right to select Earl Thomas. You know I love Earl, but that is a steep price. I could also see them trading down out of this spot. Usually I’m against that for Dallas, but this year they are kind of in no man’s land pick wise, so it might not be a terrible idea. If I have them staying here, I’m going to have them go with a fast rising player at a position of some need. Jerry is on record that he’s comfortable with Doug Free at Left Tackle, but there’s still not any real depth there and Charles Brown is a good player who’s rising fast. Brown is a well built (6’5 305), quick and nimble pass protector with tremendous upside. He’s not going to show as much in the run game as a Russell Okung or Trent Williams, but he could end up being a very good player.
Round 2 – Nate Allen – Safety – South Florida
Once you get past the top guys at safety in Earl Thomas and Eric Berry you can kind of pick your poison. I’m going to lump Taylor Mays into this group as well because I don’t believe him to be on the top tier of players. The thing about Nate Allen is there isn’t a ton of upside left in him. He’s pretty much maxed out athletically and size wise. What you see with him is what you get, but what you see is a big guy, who’s a reliable tackler and most importantly has great range. He’s not a head hunter back there, but we’ve been down that road and don’t need to take it again. I would also say if Chad Jones (LSU) is here you take a serious look at him as well. Those 2 followed by Morgan Burnett are the best of the 2nd tier Safeties in my opinion. The only way I look at Taylor Mays is if he falls this far. Even then I’d still be cautious. I’m just not sold on him.
Round 3 – Jordan Shipley – Wide Receiver – Texas
I think the Cowboys will end up trading out of their pick and this may end up being a 2nd round pick. Word is, the Cowboys are really high on Shipley and are hiding their interest in him trying to get him to slide to them. Now, the first question that came to mind is if that’s public knowledge then they aren’t doing a great job of it. However, if they are able to get the talented pass catcher then he presents a lot of versatility. Not only are you getting a great slot receiver, with good quickness, route running, and flypaper hands, but you’re also getting a dynamic kick and punt returner. If they chose to move Roy Williams at some point you could go forward with Miles Austin and Ogletree as your outside guys and Ship and Crayton inside. The crazy thing is Shipley would be the highest drafted out of the four.
Round 4 – Clifton Geathers – Defensive End – South Carolina
Here’s a guy who reminds me a lot of Chris Canty. At 6’7 299 lbs he has the size to play 3-4 end and add some depth to a line that doesn’t have a lot. He could also be a potential replacement for Marcus Spears should they choose not to bring him back after this year. Geathers is not as athletically gifted as Canty, but has good size and had good productivity for the Gamecocks. At this point in the draft you’re looking for upside, depth, and the best player available if it makes sense. I think all of those things fall into place here and it makes sense.
Round 5 – Mitch Petrus – Offensive Guard – Arkansas
Here’s where Jerry gets to draft a guy for good depth and potential upside from his alma mater of Arkansas. Petrus has good size (6’3 310 lbs.) and showed to be a good run blocker at Arkansas. He’s been a 2 time member of the All SEC second team. Stocking the offensive line with depth is a need because think what happened when Colombo and Flozell went down. The interior depth isn’t much better.
Round 6 – Joe Pawelek – Inside Linebacker – Baylor
I actually think Pawelek has a future in this league. He may need to bulk up a bit, but he’s been an incredibly productive player at Baylor. He’s your classic “White guy” inside linebacker who brings his lunchpail and all of that. He’s also a pretty good athlete who was one of the top defenders in the Big XII. In 4 years he collected 422 tackles and was a leader on the Baylor defense. He may be a guy to take a look at and then try to groom behind Keith Brooking.
Round 7 – Devin Ross – Cornerback – Arizona
I actually remember when Ross was a US Army All American and being pursued by many of the top schools in the nation. He never came through on his potential but is still a guy to take a chance on late in the draft. He’s not a lock down cover corner, but he’s got good size and athleticism. He plays faster than his timed speed, and could contribute on special teams. It would be ideal to address the need at cornerback depth and get someone who can stick around and I think Ross just may be able to.
Undrafted Free Agent – Hunter Lawrence – Kicker – Texas
It’s so hard to forecast who’s going to be undrafted but Kickers for the most part will be. I know the Cowboys are happy to go forward with what they have, but they might want to bring someone into camp to compete and push those guys. Hunter Lawrence came into Texas with all the hype, but didn’t deliver until last year. Head coach Mack Brown had even said he was thinking about redshirting Lawrence before his senior year, but Hunter was so good in camp they couldn’t. That turned out to be a good thing too as Lawrence was automatic and banged home a pressure packed kick to send the Horns to the National Championship game.
Official Cowboys Mock Draft