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We contruct a "little board" made up entirely of draft prospects the Cowboys have worked out or have brought to Dallas for a visit - and then we create three mock drafts based on it.
It's a time-honored tradition here on Blogging The Boys to build a draft board populated with players the Cowboys have invited for official pre-draft visits or have otherwise interacted with. By necessity, the result is a "Little Board," as rabbelrousr used to call it, because the board should only contain names the Cowboys had more than a fleeting interest in.
When we review the list of players the Cowboys brought to Valley Ranch for interviews in recent years, we see a strong correlation between the players the Cowboys have invited to the Ranch in recent years and who has ended up wearing the star; other than Mo Claiborne, every one of Dallas' top selections (even Jason Williams in 2009) since 2005 has been one of their Valley Ranch invitees.
We know that the Cowboys traditionally whittle down the 450 or so draft-eligible players to 130 or so names that adorn their final draft board, and which the cameras have learned to studiously avoid in more recent years. If we assume that they are legitimately interested in the players who have visited the Ranch, or who have had a workout with the Cowboys, we could know about 30-40% of the players on the Cowboys' board. That's some good information to work with. In addition, by looking at which positions receive the most invitations, we can get a better idea about which positions the Dallas braintrust is honing in on.
Over the last few years, rabblerousr has done yeoman's work in putting the "Little Board" together year after year; with his recent departure, that duty falls to me. And like the Cowboys, I have whittled down the names of potential prospects. Only instead of 130 or so names, I have 59 names on my board, which you will find below. The official pre-draft invitees are shown in in green; "Dallas Days" players are in blue, the rest are marked in yellow and are players the Cowboys have met or worked out at some point so far.
The trickiest part of this exercise is correctly slotting the players, and my guesses may well be quite a bit off from where the team has a given player on its board. Nevertheless, by gathering the invitees together on a pre-draft "little board," some very clear patterns begin to emerge.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7/ PFA
OFFENSE
QB Jared Goff Connor Cook Dak Prescott Christian Hackenberg Jacoby Brissett Brandon Allen Trevone BoykinOFFENSE
Carson Wentz Cardale Jones
Paxton Lynch
RB Ezekiel Elliott Derrick Henry C.J. Prosise Kenyan Drake Aaron Green
Paul Perkins Jonathan Williams
WR Laquon Treadwell Tyler Boyd Rashard Higgins Kenny Lawler Cody Core Alonzo Russell,
Marquez North
Corey Coleman Will Fuller Braxton Miller Darius Powe,
Robert Johnson
Sterling Shephard Jay Lee,
Demarcus Ayers
OT Germain Ifedi Caleb Benenoch
OC/G Connor McGovern Isaac Seumalo
DEFENSE
LDE Joey Bosa Kevin Dodd Ryan BrownDeforest Buckner
RDE Shaq Lawson Yannick Ngakoue
Emmanuel Ogbah
3T Sheldon Rankins Robert Nkemdiche
1T A'Shawn Robinson Kenny Clark Rodney Coe
LB Deon King
Cory James
Terrance Smith
CB Jalen Ramsey Eli Apple Taveze Calhoun
Vernon Hargreaves
S Keanu Neal Jalen Mills Justin Simmons Derrick Kindred
Karl Joseph Sean Davis
Some thoughts:
Target positions on offense: For a team that has a lot of holes on defense, the Cowboys sure spent a lot of time looking at offensive players. The Cowboys appear to be targeting three positions heavily - QB, RB, and wide receiver. Overall, the Cowboys brought in 17 offensive players for an official pre-draft visit, but only 12 defensive prospects.
Top-heavy on defense. Look at the gaping hole in the chart above between rounds three and six on defense. The Cowboys have shown great interest in some of the top defensive talent in this draft, but hardly any interest in middle- to late-round defenders. This suggests the Cowboys are looking for defensive difference makers in the draft. These difference makers will be found in rounds one and two; after that, it's questionable whether other prospects would be an immediate upgrade over what the Cowboys already have on their roster. They have a few late-round or priority free agent names on their radar, which gives them some options with the third pick.
But if I were a betting man, I wager the Cowboys are looking to pick at least two, perhaps even three defensive players at the top of the draft, and then look for offensive depth (OB, RB, OL, WR) beyond that.
Horizontal vs. Vertical. This is a little repetitive from the two points above, but I couldn't help notice how QB, RB and WR are organized horizontally, as if the Cowboys are looking for options at those positions everywhere in the draft, while the entire defense is organized vertically: 14 prospects are in rounds 1-2, seven prospects are likely priority free agents. Only four players don't fit this vertical logic, and that may simply be because I didn't put them in the proper rounds
The high and mighty. Look at how similar the late-round wide receivers are in terms of their size
CBS Rank Name School Height Weight
199 Cody Core Ole Miss 6-3 205
282 Jay Lee Baylor 6-2 215
369 Alonzo Russell Toledo 6-4 206
385 Marquez North Tennessee 6-2 223
664 Darius Powe California 6-3 220
- - Robert Johnson Mississippi State 6-1 210
Notice what's not on the list? The small speedster that many Cowboys fans wish would come in to "stretch the field" with his speed. These are all tall, possession-type receivers, and perfectly fit the template of what the Cowboys are looking for in their wide receivers.
Taking all of these factors into consideration, here are three mock based entirely on players from the little board above..
Defense heavy: The first one starts with Jalen Ramsey and remains defense-heavy outside of the three offensive priority positions:
Round 1 (4): CB Jalen Ramsey
Round 2 (34): DE Robert Nkemdiche
Round 3 (67): QB Dak Prescott
Round 4 (101): S Justin Simmons
Round 4 (135): RB Jonathan Williams
Round 6 (189): WR Cody Core
Round 6 (212): LB Leon King
Round 6 (216): DT Rodney Coe
Round 6 (217): CB Taveze Calhoun
D-Line: If the Cowboys decide to go all in on their defensive line, we could see something like this unfold:
Round 1 (4): DE Joey Bosa
Round 2 (34): DT Kenny Clark
Round 3 (67): RB C.J. Prosise
Round 4 (101): QB Jacoby Brissett
Round 4 (135): OT Caleb Benenoch
Round 6 (189): WR Jay Lee
Round 6 (212): DE Ryan Brown
Round 6 (216): S Derrick Kindred
Round 6 (217): DT Rodney Coe
Outscore everybody! And if the Cowboys conclude that the best defense is a good offense, we could see a scenario like this:
Round 1 (4): RB Ezekiel Elliott
Round 2 (34): CB Eli Apple
Round 3 (67): S Sean Davis
Round 4 (101): OG/OC Isaac Seumalo
Round 4 (135): WR Kenny Lawler
Round 6 (189): QB Brandon Allen
Round 6 (212): WR Alonzo Russell
Round 6 (216): CB Taveze Calhoun
Round 6 (217): DE Ryan Brown
And there it is, folks, three possible scenarios (without trades!) for the way the Cowboys draft might unfold.
Happy NFL Christmas, everybody!
If you want to create your own draft board, create your mock draft, or simply want to argue where a prospect should be ranked, here are all the prospects listed above as well as where they rank on three different draft board: CBS (999 prospects), NFL.com (489), Drafttek (400). The table is sortable so you can sort the table to your heart's content (just click on the blue column headers):
2016 Prospects with documented Cowboys interest
Player POS School
CBS NFL Drafttek Status
Jalen Ramsey
CB Florida
2 5 2 Official VisitJoey Bosa
DE Ohio State
3 6 4 Official VisitDeforest Buckner
DE Oregon
6 3 7 Official VisitCarson Wentz
QB N.D. State
7 8 3 Official VisitJared Goff
QB California
5 10 6 Official VisitEzekiel Elliott
RB Ohio State
8 4 10 Official VisitVernon Hargreaves
CB Florida
10 7 5 Official VisitSheldon Rankins
DT Louisville
14 16 11 Official VisitA'Shawn Robinson
DT Alabama
17 14 14 Dallas DayShaq Lawson
DE Clemson
12 21 12 Official VisitLaquon Treadwell
WR Ole Miss
13 19 15 Official VisitRobert Nkemdiche
DT Ole Miss
23 15 18 Priv. WO/MeetPaxton Lynch
QB Memphis
27 27 13 Official VisitCorey Coleman
WR Baylor
24 31 17 Priv. WO/MeetKevin Dodd
DE Clemson
30 20 25 Official VisitEli Apple
CB Ohio State
20 37 19 Priv. WO/MeetWill Fuller
WR Notre Dame
35 18 28 Official VisitDerrick Henry
RB Alabama
37 28 29 Official VisitEmmanuel Ogbah
DE Oklahoma State
38 34 27 Priv. WO/MeetKenny Clark
DT UCLA
36 40 45 Official VisitConnor Cook
QB Michigan State
44 55 32 Official VisitTyler Boyd
WR Pitt
47 48 54 Official VisitKeanu Neal
SS Florida
29 52 68 Priv. WO/MeetKarl Joseph
SS West Virginia
46 42 65 Official VisitSterling Shephard
WR Oklahoma
59 45 56 Priv. WO/MeetGermain Ifedi
OT Texas A&M
42 54 81 Priv. WO/MeetBraxton Miller
WR Ohio State
74 80 57 Priv. WO/MeetChristian Hackenberg
QB Penn State
76 88 95 Official VisitPaul Perkins
RB UCLA
97 83 98 Official VisitSean Davis
CB/S Maryland
60 92 137 Priv. WO/MeetConnor McGovern
OG Missouri
96 106 113 Official VisitC.J. Prosise
RB Notre Dame
67 95 155 Official VisitKenyan Drake
RB Alabama
123 105 93 Official VisitRashard Higgins
WR Colorado State
80 128 126 Dallas DayJalen Mills
FS LSU
91 194 63 Dallas DayDak Prescott
QB Mississippi State
143 133 102 Official VisitIsaac Seumalo
OG Oregon State
82 146 151 Official VisitCardale Jones
QB Ohio State
115 145 121 Priv. WO/MeetJustin Simmons
FS Boston College
89 90 203 Priv. WO/MeetJonathan Williams
RB Arkansas
111 121 164 Dallas DayYannick Ngakoue
DE Maryland
103 166 133 Priv. WO/MeetKenny Lawler
WR California
107 135 177 Priv. WO/MeetBrandon Allen
QB Arkansas
183 139 163 Priv. WO/MeetJacoby Brissett
QB NC State
213 112 205 Official VisitCaleb Benenoch
OT UCLA
95 195 242 Priv. WO/MeetTerrance Smith
OLB Florida State
272 231 118 Priv. WO/MeetCody Core
WR Ole Miss
199 228 248 Priv. WO/MeetAaron Green
RB TCU
237 371 224 Dallas DayDerrick Kindred
S TCU
225 294 384 Dallas DayTaveze Calhoun
CB Mississippi State
335 367 289 Priv. WO/MeetDemarcus Ayers
WR Houston
411 335 296 Dallas DayMarquez North
WR Tennessee
385 443 257 Priv. WO/MeetTrevone Boykin
WR/QB TCU
483 389 281 Dallas DayJay Lee
WR Baylor
282 176 - - Dallas DayAlonzo Russel
WR Toledo
369 285 - - Priv. WO/MeetCory James
LB/S Colorado State
397 313 - - Official VisitRodney Coe
DT Akron
- - 278 - - Official VisitRyan Brown
DE Mississippi State
561 488 - - Priv. WO/MeetDeon King
LB Norfolk State
516 - - - - Official VisitDarius Powe
WR California
664 - - - - Priv. WO/MeetRobert Johnson
WR Mississippi State
- - - - - - Priv. WO/MeetContinue reading...