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After a fascinating first round, which of the Cowboys top targets are still available for round two (and three)?
In one of yesterday's pre-draft posts, I offered up a projected "little board," made up of the players that were known to interest the Cowboys. After the first round, a lot of these players are still available; which of them might be their top targets on the draft's second night? Let's begin to answer that question by revisiting the "little board, with lines through the names of the players who have already been selected:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
OFFENSE
QB RB J.C. Copeland (FB)
WR
Josh Huff
Mike Davis
TE C.J. Fiedorowicz
OG
Billy Turner Cyril Richardson Brandon Thomas Kaycee Ike
OT Jack Mewhort
DEFENSE
DE Kony Ealy
Scott Crichton Kareem Martin Jackson Jeffcoat Will Clarke Taylor Hart Josh Mauro Larry Webster
IK Enemkpali
DT
Ken Bishop
Chris Whaley
OLB
CB Walt Aikens Brandon Dixon Demetri Goodson
SS
A look at this list offers a bit of bad news and a lot of really good news. The bad news? I think one of their top targets was Florida DT Dominique Easley. Clearly, NFL teams though he was too good to let fall into round two. Not nly did the Patriots select him at the end of the first round but, had they not, the Seahawks were poised to grab him with the final pick in the frame (indeed they traded back precisely because the accursed Pats had just nabbed "their guy").
The good news: All of their defensive end targets other than Anthony Barr are still available. I have written on more than one occasion that, if Barr goes before their pick in the first round, the Cowboys would have to spend the remainder of the draft chasing defensive ends. Now, with so many still available, it appears that they might not have to chase long. The people I trust say that Boise State's Demarcus Lawrence is the favorite from among the gaggle of second-round DEs; the fact that Kony Ealy and Scott Crichton (and perhaps even Kareem Martin) are still around increases the chance that Lawrence falls to Dallas, who have the fourteenth pick in round two. As with round one, I don't think the Cowboys trading up a few picks to get the guy they really want is out of the question.
The other possible direction is to grab a defensive tackle; Timmy Jernigan, Louis Nix, Stephen Tuitt (who I hear the Cowboys consider a DT), and Ra'Shede Hegeman all sit atop the lists of best remaining players.
Other than defensive linemen, who are the best players still on the board? Here are the best remaining names from CBS Sports rankings, with players on the Cowboys' "little board" in bold. Note: I've not included offensive linemen, as I think they'll not go in that direction unless there is at least a round worth of value, which there can't be at this point. Here it is:
24. Louis Nix, DT
25. Marquise Lee, WR
28. Derek Carr, QB
31. Timmy Jernigan, DT
32. Demarcus Lawrence, DE
34. Allen Robinson, WR
35. Kony Ealy, DE
37. Stephon Tuitt, DE/ DT
40. RaShede Hageman, DE/ DT
42. Cody Latimer, WR
43. Scott Crichton, DE
45. Tom Savage, QB
46. Jordan Matthews, WR
47. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB
49. Jace Amaro, TE
50. Carlos Hyde, RB
52. Austin Seferian-Jenkins
53. Lamarcus Joyner, CB/ FS
54. Carl Bradford, OLB
55. Bishop Sankey, RB
56. Kyle Van Noy, OLB
57. Donte Moncrief, WR
59. Davante Adams, WR
60. Tre Mason, RB
As this list suggests, there are also rich deposits of wide receivers and running backs to be mined in round two. Its within the realm of possibility, I suppose, that the Cowboys could take one of those positions, but I'd be shocked if it went down that way. Look D-line, and hope other teams load up on offense after a defense-heavy first frame.
I'll offer an updated list of top targets as we wrap up round two and head into round three. Until then, enjoy the fat middle of one of sports' best weekends!
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