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PRINCE AMUKAMARA THE 9TH?
There will never be complete consensus among all the draft analysts and "experts" operating from their basements, but Nebraska's star cornerback going to the Cowboys is close.
by Josh Ellis
The thing is, the NFL Draft is so unpredictable that it never goes according to plan. Anyone's plan. So how many hours of work productivity have been lost in the last three months looking at mock drafts?
And because everybody else is doing one, you had better have one yourself. And the updates, keep 'em coming. Feel free to change your mind. Football writers put out more sequels to their mock drafts than George Lucas. Except for the Star. We just do one, and it's always right.
But through all the volumes and voluminous revisions, one thing has held pretty much steady this year. Most folks think the Cowboys are about to pick Prince Amukamara, cornerback, Nebraska.
It makes some sense, and it's not hard to connect the dots between the fact the Cowboys were awful in pass defense last year, and Amukamara figures to be the best secondary player available when the Cowboys go on the clock with the ninth overall selection. Only LSU's Patrick Peterson will go ahead of him, or so we've been told.
There's a lot to like about the pick. In the pass-happy Big-12, Amukamara was voted the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year despite not recording an interception, mainly due to the fact opponents didn't throw at him often. Still, his 13 pass breakups were among the best in the country, and he brings experience and all the measurables teams look for in cornerbacks, plus great character, according to those who have been around him.
Even the Prince himself likes the idea.
"I think it would be a very good opportunity to play for the Cowboys," Amukamara said back in February at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I'm not foreign to that stadium. I played in that stadium twice. It's a real nice stadium. ... It has a big Jumbotron."
That it does. But whether or not Amukamara will be featured prominently onscreen should be far from a foregone conclusion. Again, things never work out just like anyone thinks on draft day, so who knows if another team in need of better secondary play might trade up to pluck him away - someone like the Houston Texans, picking 11th and maybe convinced by now that they'll have to get ahead of the Cowboys.
Or maybe Amukamara is there, but so is Da'Quan Bowers, the Clemson defensive end who has long been projected a top-five pick, but could slip due to concerns over his recovery from a knee injury. Or maybe Nick Fairley, the massive defensive lineman from Auburn is available. Or USC offensive lineman Tyron Smith.
One might argue those guys would make even more sense to the Cowboys. Right tackle Marc Colombo showed signs of a serious decline in 2011, and left tackle Doug Free could hit unrestricted free agency. Three defensive ends are free agents - Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, and it's highly unlikely all will return.
But cornerback? The Cowboys might not have given up on the guys they already have on the roster. Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman were Pro Bowlers in 2009, after all. Even though age isn't on Newman's side, he's so fast he could possibly afford to lose a step or two and still play at a high level. Thinking optimistically, he could be Darrell Green, especially if he can avoid nagging injuries like the rib cartilage damage he experienced in 2010, which coaches say was the real cause of his trouble.
Full Article for those with Star Mag online
--------------------
I wish I could post the full article because most of you don't get Star Mag. Anyway, on the cover there is a picture of the throwback helmet with a prince's crown on it. But inside there's a mock draft that has the Cowboys picking Cameron Jordan at 9.
There will never be complete consensus among all the draft analysts and "experts" operating from their basements, but Nebraska's star cornerback going to the Cowboys is close.
by Josh Ellis
The thing is, the NFL Draft is so unpredictable that it never goes according to plan. Anyone's plan. So how many hours of work productivity have been lost in the last three months looking at mock drafts?
And because everybody else is doing one, you had better have one yourself. And the updates, keep 'em coming. Feel free to change your mind. Football writers put out more sequels to their mock drafts than George Lucas. Except for the Star. We just do one, and it's always right.
But through all the volumes and voluminous revisions, one thing has held pretty much steady this year. Most folks think the Cowboys are about to pick Prince Amukamara, cornerback, Nebraska.
It makes some sense, and it's not hard to connect the dots between the fact the Cowboys were awful in pass defense last year, and Amukamara figures to be the best secondary player available when the Cowboys go on the clock with the ninth overall selection. Only LSU's Patrick Peterson will go ahead of him, or so we've been told.
There's a lot to like about the pick. In the pass-happy Big-12, Amukamara was voted the 2010 Defensive Player of the Year despite not recording an interception, mainly due to the fact opponents didn't throw at him often. Still, his 13 pass breakups were among the best in the country, and he brings experience and all the measurables teams look for in cornerbacks, plus great character, according to those who have been around him.
Even the Prince himself likes the idea.
"I think it would be a very good opportunity to play for the Cowboys," Amukamara said back in February at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I'm not foreign to that stadium. I played in that stadium twice. It's a real nice stadium. ... It has a big Jumbotron."
That it does. But whether or not Amukamara will be featured prominently onscreen should be far from a foregone conclusion. Again, things never work out just like anyone thinks on draft day, so who knows if another team in need of better secondary play might trade up to pluck him away - someone like the Houston Texans, picking 11th and maybe convinced by now that they'll have to get ahead of the Cowboys.
Or maybe Amukamara is there, but so is Da'Quan Bowers, the Clemson defensive end who has long been projected a top-five pick, but could slip due to concerns over his recovery from a knee injury. Or maybe Nick Fairley, the massive defensive lineman from Auburn is available. Or USC offensive lineman Tyron Smith.
One might argue those guys would make even more sense to the Cowboys. Right tackle Marc Colombo showed signs of a serious decline in 2011, and left tackle Doug Free could hit unrestricted free agency. Three defensive ends are free agents - Marcus Spears, Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, and it's highly unlikely all will return.
But cornerback? The Cowboys might not have given up on the guys they already have on the roster. Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman were Pro Bowlers in 2009, after all. Even though age isn't on Newman's side, he's so fast he could possibly afford to lose a step or two and still play at a high level. Thinking optimistically, he could be Darrell Green, especially if he can avoid nagging injuries like the rib cartilage damage he experienced in 2010, which coaches say was the real cause of his trouble.
Full Article for those with Star Mag online
--------------------
I wish I could post the full article because most of you don't get Star Mag. Anyway, on the cover there is a picture of the throwback helmet with a prince's crown on it. But inside there's a mock draft that has the Cowboys picking Cameron Jordan at 9.
