News: BTB: Cowboys Draft 2016: Will It Be A Buckeye Coin Flip For Dallas?

[NewsBot]

Will the draft have an Ohio flavor for Dallas, or will it be pure Sunshine?

Yes, we are getting down to the wire. Mock drafts will soon be relics, only to be unearthed again next year when we do the whole crazy draft season again. But for 2016, all answers will be...answered?...this coming Thursday, at least as far as the first round of the draft. If you take a look around the landscape, it really comes down to three guys for Dallas - Jalen Ramsey, Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliott. Of course, the Cowboys could throw us a curve and grab someone else, or they could trade down. But if they stick at number four, the smart money is on one of the three.

We've heard for a while that Jalen Ramsey is tops on their board. We don't know that for a fact, but a few different "people with sources" have made that claim. And Ramsey is kind of the focus, since the San Diego Chargers are expected to choose between Ramsey, Laremy Tunsil or DeForest Buckner. The Cowboys probably aren't going with either Tunsil (they have a left tackle) or Buckner (maybe not the best scheme fit), so Ramsey is the guy to watch for San Diego. If he goes to the Chargers, then we might have a Buckeye coin flip. Bosa or Elliott.

Some mock drafters have the same issue, a sampling.

Pro Football Focus:

4. Dallas Cowboys – Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State Bosa is our top player in the draft, but the QB’s and scheme fit knock him down to No. 4. The Cowboys are thrilled to add our top-graded edge defender from the last two years as Bosa projects as a strong run defender on the edge who is capable of pressuring the quarterback after he posted the nation’s top pass rush grade in 2015.
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Peter King:

4. Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State. I think it comes down to Joey Bosa and Elliott here, with strong sentiment around the organization for both. Question is, can Jerry Jones avoid the temptation of picking the best pass-rusher available, Bosa, with all the MIA guys on the Dallas front seven early in the season? The offensive coaches love Elliott and think he’d take major pressure off Tony Romo—and he’s an NFL-ready blocker and receiver out of the backfield right now. I think it could go either way, and I’m picking Elliott simply because he has a chance to be a rushing champion, while Bosa is probably an eight-to-10-sack guy.
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SBNation.com:

4. Dallas Cowboys: Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State This pick is a coin flip between Bosa and Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. The choice is Bosa for two reasons, with the first being that he's the top player in the draft. The second is that it's much harder to find a pass rusher late in the draft than it is a cornerback.
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Charlie Casserly:

DALLAS PICK NO. 4 EZEKIEL ELLIOTT Will win more games for them this year than any other player.
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CBSSports.com

4. Dallas Cowboys Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State: Some would go Ezekiel Elliott here but not my guy. "There is no edge rusher close to this kid in this draft."
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FOX Sports

4. Dallas (4-12): Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State I know Dallas' top three pass rushers from a season ago all have issues or won't be there at the start of the 2016 season. And I know the Cowboys defensive backfield can use another young game-changer. But I'm still hearing Elliott. Dallas takes a huge swing and gets a running back that I've been told by an NFL GM is the best, "most sophisticated" prospect at the position to enter the league since Adrian Peterson.
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This goes on and on, if Jalen Ramsey is gone, it's a battle between the Buckeyes. Let's go to Scout.com and their Mock Draft Muncher, which gathers mock drafts far and wide and then averages out each player's projected place and creates one uber-mock draft. So what do they have to say about the Cowboys number four pick?

Scout

No. 4 – CB Jalen Ramsey, Florida State (Dallas Cowboys) Ramsey can play at safety or corner, and his versatility is one reason his draft stock has remained in the top 5. The other reason is his experience; Ramsey started 40 games at FSU. The Cowboys are hoping San Diego passes on him.
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Well, there you go.

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