First time poster. MY 2013 offseason moves and mock draft (long)

[theranchsucks]

1. Cut Free(7mill, June 1st), Spears(1.5mill, June 1st), Connor(3mill, June 1st), Vickers(1mill)........I would consider cutting Ratliff but only if its a 3+million savings and only after the draft if we go DT in round 1.

Thats say 12 million

Extend Romos contract
Thats about 8 million

Rework the deals of Ware, Witten, Carr, Austin
Thats about 12 million

Cap is expected to be around 121 million, we were expected to be at about 143 million, 22 million over. When all is said and done we should have around 10 million to spend with. I know, you only screw yourself for the future, but with this team the future is now.

The only 2 players I resign are:
1. L.P. Ladouceur 2013 salary 1mill: we need a long snapper or do we take a chance with a rookie?????
2. Ernie Sims 2013 salary 1 mill: played very well for us and can play all 3 linebacker spots and battle to start at the strong side olb spot.

Free agent signings: We will have enough money to go big on at least one big free agent contract, and must do so to protect Romo. I see no reason to waste more money on aging lineman, and no reason to waste money on backup garbage as we did last season.
1. Andy Levitre 2013 salary 4mill: Will come in and start immediatly from day one. A top 3 guard, Spiller averaged an insane 9 yards per carry, and Jackson averaged 8.2. Just as good a pass protector, you could pencil him in at either guard spot and/or slide Livings if needed. This one would be a huge step in the right direction to fixing the oline and helping others along it.
2. Jerome Felton 2013 salary 2mill: This one also helps the offensive line. Sign the best FB out there to help run the ball.

So you will have around 4 million left over for the rookies.

The team prior to the draft
2 QB Romo, Orton
2 RB Murray, Dunbar
1 FB Felton
4 WR Bryant, Austin, Harris, Beasley
2 TE Witten, Hanna
2 T Smith, Parnell
3 G Levitre, Livings, Bernadeau
3 C Costa, Kowalski, Cook
2 DE Ware, Crawford
4 DT Ratliff, Lissemore, Hatcher, Price(Brian)
4 OLB Carter, Albright, Sims, Wilber
2 MLB Lee, Lemon
3 CB Carr, CLaiborne, Scandrick
2 FS Sensabaugh, Johnson
2 SS Church, McCray
1 K Bailey
1 P Jones
1 LS Ladouceur

Thats 41 spots locked after free agency far as I am concerned. Some might say wait a minute with a guy like Price, Lemon or Johnson but I strongly think all 3 make it. Only 2 small resignings, Ladouceur and Sims. 2 Big time free agent signings that we can afford to make. 12 roster spots is a lot of opennings but there are a lot of borderline guys and it never hurts a team to get some young thirsty players out there.

Onto the draft
A lot of people have their own opinion on who we will take this year in the draft. The truth is we are converting from the 3-4 to the 4-3 which means we most likely will be drafting the best available defensive lineman. Like it or not that is the way Jerry/the organization runs things.

There is no such thing as best available player with the Cowboys. There is however best available at a position of need. That is why we passed on JJ Watt 2 years ago. Watt was rated higher than Tyron Smith on the Cowboys draft board but because of the need factor we took Smith.

Lucky for us this season the draft is very deep in the mid-late 1st round with talented defensive lineman and someone most likely will fall to us. Here is a list of possible players who might be there at 18.

Sheldon Richardson, Sharrif Floyd, Johnathan Hankins, Kawann Short, Sylvester Williams, Ziggy Ansah, Alex Okafor
I am pretty sure one of the first 3 will be there at 18.

Here is my mock draft

1. Sheldon Richardson(if not him, the next best DT who is a good pass rusher. there are like 3-4 in the mid to late first round range but hopefully this stud slides to us)
2. Menelik Watson RT(some here might say reach, this guy is a smart, well built rock who could also move. He looks like a beast too. Steal of the draft who will start at RT or RG depending on Parnell)

3. Montee Ball RB(A steal who just might take over for the often injured Murray. Not sure he falls this far but if he does look out. Originally had Goodman going here but if not Ball slot my guy Goodman here and go rb in the 4th.....maybe the guy from Pitt or Rutgers)

4. Malliciah Goodman DE(another smart, technical lineman. We are getting stronger up front. Can rush, stop the run, huge hands, long arms)

5. Quanterus Smith DE(a great pass rusher coming of a major knee injury. would have been a late 1st early 2nd round pick if not for the injury. Played his best against good competition)

6. Keith Pough OLB(we will take an outside LB at some point)

Free agent rookies
Michael Williams TE(huge blocking TE from Bama)
Kejuan Riley FS(turnover machine from a small school)

My final 4 players to make the roster are: Danny Coale, Sterling Moore, Ronald Leary, and Phillip Tanner

Here is my final 53

QB 2. Romo, Orton
HB 3. Murray, Ball, Tanner, Dunbar
FB 1. Felton
WR 5. Bryant, Austin, Harris, Beasley, Coale
TE 3. Witten, Hanna, Williams
T 3. Smith, Watson, Parnell
G 4. Levitre, Livings, Bernadeau, Leary
C 3. Costa, Cook, Kowalski
DE 4. Ware, Goodman, Crawford, Smith
DT 5. Richardson, Ratliff, Lissemore, Hatcher, Price
OLB 4. Carter, Sims, Wilber, Pough
MLB 3. Lee, Albright, Lemon
CB 4. Carr, Claiborne, Scandrick, Moore
FS 3. Sensabaugh, Johnson, Riley
SS 2. Church, McCray
K 1. Bailey
P 1. Jones
LS 1. Ladouceur

GO COWBOYS!!!

[Fletch]

Nice contribution! Welcome to The Zone.

[AKATheRake]

Not bad, but I am more than certain we draft at least another corner and/ or safety in this draft unless we get a corner or safety in FA.

Certain we have 5 corners on this team come week 1.

[stasheroo]

[Dhragon]

Don't mind the 1st round DEF, but if we do that, I'd really like both 2nd and third rounders to be O-LINE. But that's just me.

We REALLY need to make a very strong effort to fix O-line. Free agent like you have plus 2 premium draft picks would be best for me. Your scenerio would be okay though. I'd just prefer a little more O-line is all.

[BIGDen]

Great first post. Welcome to the board! I agree with most of what you wrote. I really hope we get at least one FA OL and one OL in the first two rounds. DL in the first is likely if a highly rated DL is there for us. We are fortunate in that this draft is deep in our areas need. We absolutely have to get this draft right if we're gonna have a shot to contend.

[marchetta]

Does his cap figure include the fine we were given by the league for moves we made during the "uncapped" year?

[MichaelWinicki]

Nice writeup!

+1 for the contribution.

But I gotta say that no way does Andy Levitre see free agency.

[ABQCOWBOY]

Very good first post and welcome to the board!

I am going to move your post from the Fan Zone over to the Draft Zone. In that forum, there are multiple posters who discuss Mocks and proposed moves daily.

As an FYI, we also have a New Members Zone. You may wish to visit that forum and just introduce yourself.

Again, welcome and please keep posting.

[jobberone]

Wow! Great first post. Welcome to the Zone.

[JDSTAR]

I like, I like.

[RS12]

Nice post. Interesting screen name you got there.

[xwalker]

Originally Posted by theranchsucks

1. Cut Free(7mill, June 1st), Spears(1.5mill, June 1st), Connor(3mill, June 1st), Vickers(1mill)........I would consider cutting Ratliff but only if its a 3+million savings and only after the draft if we go DT in round 1.

Thats say 12 million

Extend Romos contract
Thats about 8 million

Rework the deals of Ware, Witten, Carr, Austin
Thats about 12 million

Cap is expected to be around 121 million, we were expected to be at about 143 million, 22 million over. When all is said and done we should have around 10 million to spend with. I know, you only screw yourself for the future, but with this team the future is now.

The only 2 players I resign are:
1. L.P. Ladouceur 2013 salary 1mill: we need a long snapper or do we take a chance with a rookie?????
[View Full Quote]2. Ernie Sims 2013 salary 1 mill: played very well for us and can play all 3 linebacker spots and battle to start at the strong side olb spot.

Free agent signings: We will have enough money to go big on at least one big free agent contract, and must do so to protect Romo. I see no reason to waste more money on aging lineman, and no reason to waste money on backup garbage as we did last season.
1. Andy Levitre 2013 salary 4mill: Will come in and start immediatly from day one. A top 3 guard, Spiller averaged an insane 9 yards per carry, and Jackson averaged 8.2. Just as good a pass protector, you could pencil him in at either guard spot and/or slide Livings if needed. This one would be a huge step in the right direction to fixing the oline and helping others along it.
2. Jerome Felton 2013 salary 2mill: This one also helps the offensive line. Sign the best FB out there to help run the ball.

So you will have around 4 million left over for the rookies.

The team prior to the draft
2 QB Romo, Orton
2 RB Murray, Dunbar
1 FB Felton
4 WR Bryant, Austin, Harris, Beasley
2 TE Witten, Hanna
2 T Smith, Parnell
3 G Levitre, Livings, Bernadeau
3 C Costa, Kowalski, Cook
2 DE Ware, Crawford
4 DT Ratliff, Lissemore, Hatcher, Price(Brian)
4 OLB Carter, Albright, Sims, Wilber
2 MLB Lee, Lemon
3 CB Carr, CLaiborne, Scandrick
2 FS Sensabaugh, Johnson
2 SS Church, McCray
1 K Bailey
1 P Jones
1 LS Ladouceur

Thats 41 spots locked after free agency far as I am concerned. Some might say wait a minute with a guy like Price, Lemon or Johnson but I strongly think all 3 make it. Only 2 small re-signings, Ladouceur and Sims. 2 Big time free agent signings that we can afford to make. 12 roster spots is a lot of opennings but there are a lot of borderline guys and it never hurts a team to get some young thirsty players out there.

Onto the draft
A lot of people have their own opinion on who we will take this year in the draft. The truth is we are converting from the 3-4 to the 4-3 which means we most likely will be drafting the best available defensive lineman. Like it or not that is the way Jerry/the organization runs things.

There is no such thing as best available player with the Cowboys. There is however best available at a position of need. That is why we passed on JJ Watt 2 years ago. Watt was rated higher than Tyron Smith on the Cowboys draft board but because of the need factor we took Smith.

Lucky for us this season the draft is very deep in the mid-late 1st round with talented defensive lineman and someone most likely will fall to us. Here is a list of possible players who might be there at 18.

Sheldon Richardson, Sharrif Floyd, Johnathan Hankins, Kawann Short, Sylvester Williams, Ziggy Ansah, Alex Okafor
I am pretty sure one of the first 3 will be there at 18.

Here is my mock draft

1. Sheldon Richardson(if not him, the next best DT who is a good pass rusher. there are like 3-4 in the mid to late first round range but hopefully this stud slides to us)
2. Menelik Watson RT(some here might say reach, this guy is a smart, well built rock who could also move. He looks like a beast too. Steal of the draft who will start at RT or RG depending on Parnell)

3. Montee Ball RB(A steal who just might take over for the often injured Murray. Not sure he falls this far but if he does look out. Originally had Goodman going here but if not Ball slot my guy Goodman here and go rb in the 4th.....maybe the guy from Pitt or Rutgers)

4. Malliciah Goodman DE(another smart, technical lineman. We are getting stronger up front. Can rush, stop the run, huge hands, long arms)

5. Quanterus Smith DE(a great pass rusher coming of a major knee injury. would have been a late 1st early 2nd round pick if not for the injury. Played his best against good competition)

6. Keith Pough OLB(we will take an outside LB at some point)

Free agent rookies
Michael Williams TE(huge blocking TE from Bama)
Kejuan Riley FS(turnover machine from a small school)

My final 4 players to make the roster are: Danny Coale, Sterling Moore, Ronald Leary, and Phillip Tanner

Here is my final 53

QB 2. Romo, Orton
HB 3. Murray, Ball, Tanner, Dunbar
FB 1. Felton
WR 5. Bryant, Austin, Harris, Beasley, Coale
TE 3. Witten, Hanna, Williams
T 3. Smith, Watson, Parnell
G 4. Levitre, Livings, Bernadeau, Leary
C 3. Costa, Cook, Kowalski
DE 4. Ware, Goodman, Crawford, Smith
DT 5. Richardson, Ratliff, Lissemore, Hatcher, Price
OLB 4. Carter, Sims, Wilber, Pough
MLB 3. Lee, Albright, Lemon
CB 4. Carr, Claiborne, Scandrick, Moore
FS 3. Sensabaugh, Johnson, Riley
SS 2. Church, McCray
K 1. Bailey
P 1. Jones
LS 1. Ladouceur

GO COWBOYS!!!

Welcome. Excellent first post!

I assume that the 4M for Andy Levitre is his cap hit, not his actual average salary.

I expect Richardson to get drafted before #18 if his character issues check out. If his character issues don't check out, then the Cowboys won't draft him. Otherwise, he would be a perfect fit in Kiffin's defense.

I would love it if they got Menelik Watson in the 2nd. I don't think he is a reach, in fact, I think he could end of getting drafted earlier. He has all the physical ability that you look for in an OT. Very athletic and very powerful. He is not nearly as raw as you might expect for a guy that's only played football for 2 years. Watson could probably play OG also. I mention this because I expect Parnell to beat out most Rookie's that could be added to the roster this year.

I think RB is a bigger need than many people believe.

I'm a big fan of drafting Goodman. He would be a perfect fit as the Strong-Side DE in Kiffin's defense. As you mentioned, he has freakishly large hands and long arms. I don't know if he makes it to the 4th round.

Quanterus Smith has a very high upside, IMO. He would be an excellent backup to Ware and Nickel pass-rusher on the Strong-Side.

I like the idea of re-signing Ernie Sims. His effort and ability to play sideline to sideline was very impressive this year.

I would be surprised if TE Michael Williams does not get drafted. He would be an excellent blocking-TE that can catch a few passes.

I also expect Price and Johnson to make the roster if healthy. I'm not sure about Lemon. The move to the Kiffin defense probably hurt his chances. He is a little slow compared to most LBs in Kiffin or Kiffin inspired defenses.

Again, excellent analysis and 1st post.

[tm1119]

I like everything but the lack of safety help. Even if its not a starter I want someone that can at least contribute. I'm not counting on Matt Johnson at all and Church is still a big ?.

Nice overall plan though, a lot of good ideas there.

[Cowboy_Ace]

Welcome fellow cowboys enthusiast : D!!! I appreciate what u did, I know it took alot of thought nd time. As for the offseason, id love to get andy, I have seen menelik all over the place including first, so I personally have no problem there. I strongly believe we need nd we get a safety before an undrafted guy. Overall great job! Welcome to cowboyzone.