Mock Draft 02/13/2012

[JDSTAR]

Why do we mock?; because of the love for our team, or pure boredom, or the want of actually getting one completely right? Or maybe it is the hope that Jerry or Stephen or anybody that is associated with the organization is reading our post, and thinks "hey, this guy knows whats up," and the next thing you know your watching your chosen players at the NFC championship game in box seats next to Jerry telling you that "you have a bright future with the Cowboys." --Here is my latest draft Jerry..

Notes: I tried to take in account our needs, from a zone blocking offense and a 4-3 Tampa 2 Defense. If I get it wrong, please let me know. I'm still learning. Also, I chose players who do NOT have an injury history. I'm tired of seeing "potentially" great players with health issues. We got lucky with Carter and Lee, and they have not yet proven they can finish a season.

Lose
Spencer- We cannot sign big contracts to aging players, looking ahead
Jenkins
Free
Bernadeau

On the Fence
Austin- (possible trade) don't give a roster spot for the past. spot can be given to a younger and more reliable receiver. Thank you for everything you have done.

Sensabaugh - less heart wrenching. Compete for the spot, and if he cant, Brodney Pool him.

Ratliff- Yea, I remember how good he was. Do you remember how long ago? We've been giving him and Austin the benefit of the doubt too long to consider us a competitive team. Trouble has outweighed talent.

FA
This is more of a up in the air thing to me than the draft. Money, need, and what their eyeballing in the draft dictate this.

Tyronne Green, OG, Chargers - Young G who could be a piece in this Oline puzzle. Helps us from being forced into Oline early in the Draft and allows us to pick the best player for the team and not for the postition.

Jonathon Scott, OT, Bears - Also gives us more selection for the Oline and cheaper than a big contract that will hurt us in the long run. A steal if it works, a filler if it doesn't.

Tracy Porter, CB/S, Broncos - Also will come at the cheap. Had an issue with seizure type symptoms last year. Can fill the void of Mike Jenkins.

Draft - The numbers to the right of the name is the grades of each player from the NFL Combine site. The website is http://www.nfl.com/combine/participants

1(18) Alec Ogletree, LB Georgia 84.0

Yes, I know, I'm screaming for OL and DL help as much as the next fan, but then the nightmares of DWare getting juked by RG3 keep coming back. Its not gonna get better; Kaepernick, Wilson, whatever Chip throws at us. There is not one single 280-300 lb person that is going to stop these guys, nor is a long, rangy pass rusher. We need a guy who's athletically superior to these QBs and with the assignment of mirroring their moves, will keep them on their toes and cause them to force errand throws and mistakes. He also seems to fit the bill on Kiffin's LB preferences. Im sold on him. I like Warmack and Cooper, but the last quarter showed us that the offense can thrive with ripples and not waves of changes, while the defense will only get worse against the competition. Jerry agrees; minute changes to the offense, a face lift for the defense. Plus, Warmack is not a fit in the zone blocking scheme, and we've heard the Guard mumbo-jumbo with Decastro last year. Playmaker, now.

Trade 2(47) to Houston for 2(57) and 4(121) Justin Hunter, WR, Tenn

2(57) D.J. Swearinger, S South Carolina 81.4

He is so good and so underrated. he plays both Safety positions; lines up in the nickel; strong leader; great character; family oriented; Hits hard (maybe a little too); and furthermore, he could be a starter next to Church or Matt Johnson on day 1, make an aging Sensaubaugh expendable; BUT MOSTLY- He brings Swag, great talent and intensity to a defense that had no identity. I think alot of this guy.

3(80) Terron Armstead, OT Arkansas Pine-Bluff 73.0

Considering the zone scheme that Callahan uses, this guy is a steal; and with vast improvements to the Defense in the first two picks, we can now focus on the ripples in the O. Free is gone, Parnell has somewhat proven himself for the short term. This guy has been listed as a RT, swing T, and possibly a Guard. The small school guy shouldn't worry because he was offered numerous D1 scholarships, but Pine-Bluff allowed him to be on the Track and Field team as well. Honorable in my opinion. Take the small school to do what he wants and let his play dictate his future.

4(111) Darick Rogers, WR Tenn Tech 74.4

I can explain myself. First, I've written this before; Not a Garrett guy, not a Garrett team. This guy has had his problems, but he also has immense talent. Reminds me of someone else. Lets not do to Dez what Houston did to Andre. Give him the help on the other side, and then he can go and get the opportunities to be the greatest ever. Rogers would be a compliment (Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith type), and a danger to any defense leaning Dez's way. Could also make a great understudy to Dez. Plus, wasn't Dallas in on the Josh Gordon bid. Miles was great for us, but we cannot believe what he did yesterday is what he'll do tomorrow. Sooner or later were just losing a roster spot and debilitating our team. he would get better trading value if we trade him now for a pick or two next year. Outshined by Robinson last year and Harris this year.

4(121) Earl Watford, OG James Madison 68.1

Whew, A Guard. One that would work great in Callahan's scheme. A little undersized, but looks more athletic. Has a frame to build. Former High school DT who was listed as an second all-decade team, with Jameel McClain being in the 1st and Brent Grimes being in the 3rd team. So very athletic, fits the scheme, and great value. Sounds better than most of our line.

5(144)Stansly Maponga, DE TCU 68.0

So, I am one that thinks the Dline is not the most hesitant need. With Ware, Crawford, Lissemore, Hatcher, Spears, Price, possibly Ratliff. A couple new faces would be nice and maybe find a gem out of them, but I think speed, and not size is the answer to the pistol offense. That has got to be the thinking of Jerry for moving to a 4-3 Tampa 2. There are a lot of good names in DE/T around this area, and was entertaining to watch good talent that may drop this far; and then I watched this guy knock the lights out of RG3 while playing against Baylor,...., and the music began. Other than that, this guy is not great, but hes good, that can get better. I would be worried of red flags for anyone great dropping this far. This guy looks like good value.

Onterrio McCalebb, RB Auburn 54.0

I don't get this. This guy is talent, and minus a hamstring injury, looks like a steal. His numbers for a few games dictates that he can take them over. He could fit a need as a third down back, depth at reciever and an option as a returner. From what I have watched, he seems underrated and a position of need. Speed is a major need on offense IMO. A heavier back can be found elsewhere.

UDFA

Ryan Allen P, Louisiana State 50.0 -won Ray Guy Award in 2011
Zach Allen OG, N.C. State 51.0
Brandon Hepburn ILB, Flor A&M 51.0
Vinston Painter OT, Virginia Tech 51.0
Mike James, RB Miami 52.0
Keelan Johnson S, Arizona State 52.0
Mathew Tucker, HB TCU 56.0
Matt Scott QB, Arizona 55.45
Terence Barnes DT, Georgia Tech 52.0
Chris Jones DT, Bowling Green 55.3

 

[Future]

Although I really like the OTree pick, this leaves us awfully thin along the DLine.

Find a way to resign Spencer while doing all of this would be aweosme.

 

[JDSTAR]

Although I really like the OTree pick, this leaves us awfully thin along the DLine.

Find a way to resign Spencer while doing all of this would be aweosme.

Would a cheaper option curb your concern? Say like a William Hayes from St. Louis? The contract that Spencer would be looking for scares me. He would hurt our cap space, and be in his mid 30s when the contract expires.

 

[ABQcowboyJR]

It is a very different mock. I like the O-tree pick a lot. I'm not so sure on trading out of our second though. I might try and move up from that spot to acquire someone like Warford, S.Williams, Short, etc.. A guy you might want to try and throw into your mock later would be Brian Winters.

 

[DBOY3141]

The Bears OL is worse than ours, why would we want someone from that OL? Tracy Porter is done, I would stay away from him.

Love the Otree pick,but to me it's a luxury pick. Our 1st pick needs to fix the OL or DL. Don't know much about the 3rd round pick, but everytime I see Dallas and small school, I see failure. Brewster, Free, Arkin.

Rogers was kicked off the Tennessee team by our current WR coach. Highly doubt they draft him.

 

[DFWJC]

Thanks for Mock. They're always fun.

Taking two WRs in the first 4 rounds is pretty ...uh....exotic.

I like Ogletree and Swearinger as players. But you guessed it, I'd have a very hard time taking a LB in the 1st round this year. I guess if he was BPA, maybe that's what would happen though, sans a trade.
I was hoping that Swearinger would fall to us inthe 3rd, but that's probably wishful thinking.
Do you thinking those FA Oline additions would be enough of an upgrade?

 

[JDSTAR]

Thanks for Mock. They're always fun.

Taking two WRs in the first 4 rounds is pretty ...uh....exotic.

I like Ogletree and Swearinger as players. But you guessed it, I'd have a very hard time taking a LB in the 1st round this year. I guess if he was BPA, maybe that's what would happen though, sans a trade.
I was hoping that Swearinger would fall to us inthe 3rd, but that's probably wishful thinking.
Do you thinking those FA Oline additions would be enough of an upgrade?

Justin Hunter is what Houston takes with the 47th pick. Sorry, that's a bit confusing.

 

[Rack]

It would be a horrible offseason if that's how FA and the draft went.

I'd beat the crap out of anyone named "Jones" for a year if that's how our offseason went.

 

[DFWJC]

Justin Hunter is what Houston takes with the 47th pick. Sorry, that's a bit confusing.

Ahh. Thanks...I skimmed right over that.

 

[JDSTAR]

Rogers was kicked off the Tennessee team by our current WR coach. Highly doubt they draft him.

Very good point that I did not consider.

 

[RS12]

Tyronne Green, OG, Chargers - Young G who could be a piece in this Oline puzzle. Helps us from being forced into Oline early in the Draft and allows us to pick the best player for the team and not for the postition.

Chargers are worse off than the Cowboys on the O Line. Why would they let a good piece leave? In fact I expect them to draft an O Lineman we really like.

 

[Future]

Would a cheaper option curb your concern? Say like a William Hayes from St. Louis? The contract that Spencer would be looking for scares me. He would hurt our cap space, and be in his mid 30s when the contract expires.

It would help, but I don't think he'll be as good as Spencer.

The OTree pick is a luxury if we can fill some holes via FA. Though I'd love it, I don't think we'll be able to do so.

 

[xwalker]

Why do we mock?; because of the love for our team, or pure boredom, or the want of actually getting one completely right? Or maybe it is the hope that Jerry or Stephen or anybody that is associated with the organization is reading our post, and thinks "hey, this guy knows whats up," and the next thing you know your watching your chosen players at the NFC championship game in box seats next to Jerry telling you that "you have a bright future with the Cowboys." --Here is my latest draft Jerry..

The 3rd LB in a 4-3 is one of these least expensive positions to fill in Free Agency.

Love the Swearinger pick.

Armstead and Watford both seem at least 1 round early. I don't really see Armstead as an OG.

I have wondered if there would come a point where a very talented Non-RKG is available in the later rounds, how adamant Garrett is about RKG. I definitely don't see him taking a questionable character player in the top 2 or 3 rounds, but the 4th and later is an unknown.

Sensabaugh's 2013 base salary is guaranteed.

Part or all of Ratliff's base salary is guaranteed for 2013.

I think that Austin's high salary prevents a trade. Teams would just sign a Free Agent.

I am curious if there is any possibility of Franchising and then trading Spencer.

 

[xwalker]

Forgot to mention it, but there would be no reason not to bring Bernadeau to training camp.

 

[jterrell]

Not a fan of this one.

We have proven we can spot LBs and would have claimed another great one in r2 last year. So I don't use 18 on one for any reason.

The Ravens stopped the read/option nonsense easily in the SB. CK hurt them with old fashioned scrambles but read-option stuff is soon to die on a vine. Teams won't risk QBs getting hit that hard. And defensive teams will simply play assignment football and hit the QB after the hand offs.

I'd be more apt to bring a Collin Klein into camp as a 3rd QB who could scout team this stuff than try and remake a defense to stop this fad.

Do like the Safety in r2.

Give me a Richardson/Swearinger combo and I am happy on defense. But the offense still really lacks quality youth. Tyron, Dez and Murray isn't enough.

Dooley certainly has the inside scoop on DaRick Rogers.

 

[speedkilz88]

Kiffin and his protege's have a long list of no name SOLB. No way they draft a LB in round 1. He probably wants a FS more than a DL, but DL players available might be better players.

 

[AsthmaField]

I do like Ogletree but the need along the lines is just too big to go LB in round 1 this year.

If you want a super athletic OLB for the new 4-3, you could get one just as athletic (but not quite as big) in Khaseem Green in round 2... and Green is probably a better football player than Ogletree, but a little too small for many defenses.

An ex safety, Green can fly, has great movement skills, is a great athlete and is a football player through and through. Was Big East conference defensive player of the year at Rutgers and was a favorite of a very good coach (Schiano before he left for Tampa). He has first round football ability but will fall in the draft because 4-3 LB's aren't drafted high and because he's a little too small for some defensive schemes.

You could probably take a guy like Sheriff Floyd or Sheldon Richardson at 18 and draft Green in round 2. You could have your terrific athlete at LB but you would have a terrific 300 lb. athlete to add to your DL. And those 300 pound nimble guys are really hard to find, and are really, really valuable to a Kiffin 4-3 defense.

IMO, that would be a better way to build this defense if you just had to have supreme athleticism from your LB position.

 

[TheCount]

Two small school offensive linemen taken earlier than they probably need to be when the team needs immediate offensive line help - I don't see what could possibly go wrong.

I'm not sure I see anyone in this draft having an immediate impact.

I'm seeing Ogletree in a few mocks this way, but people are completely ignoring the fact that in general, the Sam in a 4-3 is virtually unknown. No one is spending 1st round picks on their Sam LB, they just don't do it.

It's one of the few positions in a 4-3 that you don't have to spend a premium on - resources you'd be better served diverting to the defensive front - so I think it's an unwise investment.

The Broncos get away with it because they have Von Miller who was originally drafted envisioned as a pass rushing OLB in a 3-4, but Ogletree is not Von Miller.

 

[ceerrece]

I really can see us taking a LB with our first choice, even Teo if he's available... i was reading in ESPN Dallas that the staff is looking for a strong side LB, they are going to evaluate our current personel and if they dont feel that anybody on the roster could fill that need, they'll definitelly will looking somewhere else. So, LB in the first round it is...

 

[TheCount]

I really can see us taking a LB with our first choice, even Teo if he's available... i was reading in ESPN Dallas that the staff is looking for a strong side LB, they are going to evaluate our current personel and if they dont feel that anybody on the roster could fill that need, they'll definitelly will looking somewhere else. So, LB in the first round it is...

Before you make up your mind, you should go see how many of the top defenses have spent a 1st rounder on a strong side LB.

I could MAYBE see Chase Thomas in the 2nd round, but spending a 1st? I highly doubt it.

I'd take a look at John Simon in the 3rd, if he shows decent movement skills.