News: BTB: Cowboys First-Round Pick According To Other SB Nation Communities

[NewsBot]

While we are doing our own community mock draft at BTB, many other SB Nation communities are doing the same. Let's check in with some and see who they have the Cowboys selecting at pick #16.

I'm sure you have been following along with our own community mock draft. Just yesterday, the Cowboys pick came up in our mock and the estimable Scarlet O selected Kony Ealy for the 'Boys. So, that got me thinking, who are the other SB Nation communities picking for Dallas in the first round? Some of them have yet to begin their mocks and others haven't quite reached pick #16 yet. But I did find seven who are holding community mocks and have already picked at #16. Here are the results.

Niners Nation - Johnny Manziel. Yup, Johnny Football fell to #16 and the Cowboys GM over there couldn't pass up on taking him. Here's his initial take:

Apparently the NFL and ESPN have conspired to drop Johnny Manziel into the lap of Jerry Jones, and the Dallas Cowboys. Can you imagine this scenario? I shudder to think of a summer chock-full of Ed Werder at Cowboy's headquarters vignettes on Sportscenter.
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And just in case you thought this was a one-time fluke, it happened again.

Big Blue View - Johnny Manziel. Ed Valentine at BBV doesn't see the sense of this.

I'm literally stunned by this selection. I don't understand it, and I don't see how this helps the defenseless Cowboys at all. It creates some headlines, but it doesn't help their woeful defense.
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Moving on...

Dawgs By Nature - Taylor Lewan. If he drops this far, the Cowboys might be inclined to make this pick. The GM over there used us as his reference point, smart guy!

Over at Blogging the boys I learned what I had a small inkling of already - the primary "need" in the draft is defensive line help - or Rushmen as they are called there. They told me that the top of their wish list is Aaron Donald a nasty up the middle threat, but sadly he went to Tampa Bay. They also told me that Timmy Jerrnigan was a lesser valued player since he was likely a 1-tech to Donalds 3-tech (though some suggested that he could well play 3-tech)

However the Blogging the Boys group let me in on some of the problems they had on the O-Line as well. Doug Free apparently had real problems in the role of RT. He's also in his last year of his contract, and they're fed up with his play. Free has to go. They said Zach Martin would be boss for them, an instant starter at guard who could slide over to RT after a year. This seemed like a high value guy in a lowish value position to me. But they also didn't think that Taylor Lewan would fall to them.
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Next up...

Behind The Steel Curtain - Calvin Pryor. That's a player we've seen come up in mock drafts for Dallas on a number of occasions.

Then we have the most popular players who are usually mocked to Dallas and seem to be consistent favorites at Blogging The Boys - DT Aaron Donald (who is off the board in this mock) and FS Calvin Pryor. Safety is arguably the Cowboys' biggest need, even on a defense that is losing pass rushers.
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Battle Red Blog - Morgan Moses. A first we've seen of this name for the Cowboys, the thought being that Dallas waves goodbye to Doug Free.

This brings us to UVA's Morgan Moses. He's been on a consistently upward trend this draft season, and it's easy to see why when you look at him. At 6'6" and over 300 pounds, Moses possesses the physical traits (most notably a loooooong wingspan) that are prototypical of the tackle position. While his potential to play left tackle is a question that hinders his draft stock, he is in competition with Greg Robinson for best right tackle prospect in the entire class.
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Pride Of Detroit - Timmy Jernigan. Ah, a familiar name to Cowboys fans.

Now, everyone with a star on their hat is praying for Aaron Donald to slip down the board, but that's not happening in real life and it didn't happen here (stupid Bears...). But there are far worse consolation prizes than Timmy Jernigan, a strong, agile run stopper who was the anchor of the national champion's defense. He could fill the 1-gap role for a decade (the perfect complement to the newly signed Henry Melton), or he could play the 3 gap (in formation or during a stunt).
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Acme Packing Company - Timmy Jernigan. Doubling up on the familiar Jernigan.

The Cowboys desperately need help up front on the defensive line. With Aaron Donald already off the board after being drafted by the Tennessee Titans, that gives Dallas the next best available defensive tackle. As the last few months have progressed, Jernigan has slowly passed up Minnesota Ra'Shede Hageman as the next-best tackle in my mind. Jernigan took over as a dominating force in the middle of one of the nation's top defenses at Florida State, and he earned first-team All-ACC accolades from the league's coaches.

He possesses a high motor, can fill gaps, and disrupts plays behind the line of scrimmage. His anchoring skills are good despite being undersized for the position, and he's very hard to move from his spot. Another positive about him is that he's not fooled very often by ball carriers. This pick makes a lot of sense for Dallas.
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So BTB, based on that list of selections and scenarios, which do you like the best?

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