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Here are five things on my mind as the first three rounds of the draft have come to a close.
With the first three rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft in the books, a lot of crazy things have happened. Here are my thoughts on what's gone down so far...
1. Loving me some Zeke
If you've been reading my stuff over the last several weeks, you are probably privy to the idea that I love Ezekiel Elliott. So when his name was called when the fourth-overall pick was announced, I went ballistic. I was still recovering from the excitement of watching Joey Bosa get picked by the San Diego Chargers that I hardly had time to gather my feelings. But when I did, it was electric.
I've never been a running back guy because the standard deviation for talent is so tight in this league and you really never have any players that are skewing the data. Well, Zeke skews it. He skews it real good. Most of the really good running backs check off 75 percent of the boxes, but are always lacking a few attributes that other running backs have. Zeke has them all. The only thing I really don't know about is his throwing ability and I don't know how much that's really going to come in play.
2. With every given moment, the Jaylon Smith pick is growing on me
I was really angry when both the remaining players on my board (Emmanuel Ogbah and Kevin Dodd) went 32 and 33 before the Cowboys were able to pick. I didn't even have a chance to collect myself and figure out who the team should target before they surprised us all by drafting Jaylon Smith. The Fighting Irish linebacker is so fun to watch on tape and if the Cowboys eventually get the player in that video, they are going to come out looking like geniuses. Yeah, he's not likely to play in 2016, but sometimes -€” good things come to those who wait.
If there was an impact pass rusher still there at 34 (like say, Ogbah or Dodd), then it would be a tougher pill to swallow, but the Cowboys are in the business of getting good football players whether they help them out immediately or not.
3. The Cowboys take advantage of the deep DT draft class
They may have not got in on some of the great players in the late first/early second round range at this position, but that didn't stop the team from being in the defensive tackle business. I didn't even have Maliek Collins on my radar, but the Cowboys got the type of player they were looking for. He can rush the quarterback. He can stop the run. Collins is big boy with some big push in the middle.
Maliek Collins generated 88 total pressures over past two seasons, third-most for interior defenders in the NFL Draft.
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) April 30, 2016
After making a push to try to move back into the first round to get Paxton Lynch, the Cowboys have eased off the gas and now passed on a couple good prospects. Both Connor Cook from Michigan State and Dak Prescott from Mississippi State had pre-draft visits with the Cowboys. Both are still on the board.
With an early pick Saturday morning, don't be surprised if the Cowboys patience finally gives way. Either Cook or Prescott in round four would be a good value pick for Dallas.
5. Who got the steal of the draft?
Without passing any judgment on Laremy Tunsil and what he was doing on that twitter video, I will pass judgment on the person who hacked his account. That was just a rotten thing for someone to do. But it's done and now the Miami Dolphins may have themselves a stud offensive lineman.
And my heart ached for Myles Jack when teams kept passing on him. What a horrible feeling for that poor kid. I was happy for him when the Jacksonville Jaguars made him a pro in the second round.
And then there's Jaylon. While he won't make an impact this upcoming season like these other two players, he could end up being the player people remember from this draft. Tunsil has character red flags, whereas Smith is a gold-star character guy. Jack's knee could end up getting worse, whereas Smith's knee will eventually heal.
Only time will tell, but the Cowboys might have scored themselves the real steal of the draft.
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