Some players the Boys have reportedly shown an interest in:

[silverbear]

No TCody on the list, huh SB? Like that Asante kid from Nebraska too...

If the Boys have shown any interest in Cody, nobody's reported it... perhaps they saw him without his shirt off, the infamous photo making the message board rounds now...

That would scare most anybody off; I mean, he was just sloppy fat... disgusting fat... the kind of fat that would make even Nate Newton say "OMG"...

 

[silverbear]

I like a lot of players in the NFL and College and it's not just relegated to cowboy players or college kids from Texas of OU sorry if I'm not a homer.

It would just be nice if there was some rhyme or reason, some LOGIC to who you liked...

 

[BeWare94]

I got these from reading Blogging The Boys, don't know their sources, but I consider them pretty reliable:

Ben Tate, RB, Auburn... 5-11, 216 pounds, 4.5 second 40... NFLDS grades him as a 3rd or 4th rounder... his scouting reports make him sound a bit like a poor man's Marion Barber... gained 3213 yards for his career, including 1254 yards as a senior... can catch the ball out of the backfield...

Garrett Graham, TE/FB, Wisconsin... 6-3, 235 pounds, 4.7 second 40... played TE for the Badgers, and is playing that position at the Senior Bowl this week, but some scouts project him to FB (and I have a hunch that's why the Boys like him)... in fact, NFLDS grades him their top FB on the board, and again, a 3rd or 4th round pick...

Chris Cook, CB/FS, Virginia... 6-2, 210 pounds, 4.5 second 40... has the size to be an effective press corner, may project to free safety in the NFL... Cook is projected as a 4th or 5th round pick by NFLDS...

We also learned earlier this offseason that the Boys have demonstrated some interest in 4 more players-- WR Dez Bryant from Oklahoma State (who will probably be gone long before they pick), OT Trent Williams from Oklahoma (who might be on the board at pick 27), OT Jason Fox from Miami (a late 1st/early 2nd round prospect) and SS Larry Asante from Nebraska (who NFLDS is grading out as a 3rd or 4th rounder)...

Hmmm, seems like the Boys are most interested in prospects who grade out in the 3rd or 4th round range, doesn't it??

If anybody has heard of any other players the Boys might be talking to, I invite you to post them to this thread...

Just like every other team we will show interest in a lot of guys..."Mr. Smithers, engage the smokescreen!"
But until we see how free agency shapes up, what prospects rise and fall and so forth, it is way too early to read too much into any of this.

 

[silverbear]

Just like every other team we will show interest in a lot of guys..."Mr. Smithers, engage the smokescreen!"
But until we see how free agency shapes up, what prospects rise and fall and so forth, it is way too early to read too much into any of this.

The idea is to use this list (which will expand as the offseason continues) to see if we can discern a pattern as to which positions the Boys are targeting, and in which rounds... IOW, to try to detect the team's philosophical approach to the draft...

If you find this effort to be a waste of time, you are of course free to ignore threads like this... indeed, one wonders why you're even checking out the Draft Zone if "it is way too early" for speculation...

Perhaps this is a form of mental masturbation for you...

 

[rkell87]

anybody find the list from last year?

 

[ghst187]

Ben Tate, RB, Auburn... 5-11, 216 pounds, 4.5 second 40... NFLDS grades him as a 3rd or 4th rounder... his scouting reports make him sound a bit like a poor man's Marion Barber... gained 3213 yards for his career, including 1254 yards as a senior... can catch the ball out of the backfield...
...

might make sense to offer Houston, who needs a between the tackles guy, MBIII and a second or third, for their 20th pick if Dez or Thomas is available. I'm also afraid we might need to move up for Iupati if we really want him. Would make sense for Houston, then we draft Tate later. Would be a win for everyone....except MBIII. Yeah yeah i know this isn't madden but i'll be surprised if we don't try to move someone for picks and MBIII may be a prime target.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

If the Boys have shown any interest in Cody, nobody's reported it... perhaps they saw him without his shirt off, the infamous photo making the message board rounds now...

That would scare most anybody off; I mean, he was just sloppy fat... disgusting fat... the kind of fat that would make even Nate Newton say "OMG"...

we're more likely to draft Cody than naught if he hasn't been linked to us

and you don't really need to do more than watch film to get a reading on him, as he's never going to be a guy who will agile you out, so there's no need to look at him up close during workouts

 

[eightysiX]

might make sense to offer Houston, who needs a between the tackles guy, MBIII and a second or third, for their 20th pick if Dez or Thomas is available. I'm also afraid we might need to move up for Iupati if we really want him. Would make sense for Houston, then we draft Tate later. Would be a win for everyone....except MBIII. Yeah yeah i know this isn't madden but i'll be surprised if we don't try to move someone for picks and MBIII may be a prime target.

I still think barber has zero trade value, i believe he is owed almost 8 million this next year. So why wouldn't they just try and sign Tate or another rb for a tenth of the price?

 

[NeonNinja]

I still think barber has zero trade value, i believe he is owed almost 8 million this next year. So why wouldn't they just try and sign Tate or another rb for a tenth of the price?

If we draft Tate then most likely Barber/Choice is moved.

 

[ghst187]

I still think barber has zero trade value, i believe he is owed almost 8 million this next year. So why wouldn't they just try and sign Tate or another rb for a tenth of the price?

he's better than any RB Houston could draft in this draft.

 

[Thatkidbob]

he's better than any RB Houston could draft in this draft.

CJ Spiller?

 

[ghst187]

CJ Spiller?

Texans already have Steve Slaton, they have no every down, between the tackles guy.

 

[Verdict]

OK, I've just made a foray onto the Daily Zone, and came across an article that lists even more players the Boys seem to like... my list now stands at 14 players, and what I think I'll do here is list them according to how high NFL Draft Scout rates them... they're not the definitive source when it comes to ratings, but they're as good as anybody I've found, so I'll use them as the gold standard for this list:

Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State... 6-3, 220 pounds, 4.55 40... rated 11th...

Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma... 6-5, 316 pounds, 5.3 40... rated 15th...

Mike Iupati, OG/OT, Idaho... 6-5, 325 pounds, 5.2 40... rated 22nd...

DeMaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech... 6-3, 230 pounds, 4.55 40... rated 51st...

Carlton Mitchell, WR, S. Florida... 6-4, 210 pounds, 4.45 40... rated 68th...

Kyle Wilson, CB/KR, Boise State... 5-10, 190 pounds, 4.4 40... rated 69th...

Jason Fox, OT, Miami... 6-6, 316 pounds, 5.15 40... rated 82nd...

Garrett Graham, TE/FB, Wisconsin... 6-3, 235 pounds, 4.7 40... rated 84th...

Larry Asante, S, Nebraska... 6-0, 210 pounds, 4.5 40... rated 105th...

Brandon Lang, OLB/DE, Troy... 6-4, 260 pounds, 4.8 40... rated 122nd...

Ben Tate, RB, Auburn... 5-11, 216 pounds, 4.5 40... rated 130th...

Mike Neal, DT/DE, Purdue... 6-3, 295 pounds, 4.9 40... rated 136th...

Chris Cook, CB/FS, Virginia... 6-2, 210 pounds, 4.5 40... rated 147th...

Cameron Sheffield, OLB/DE, Troy... 6-3, 255 pounds, 4.75 40... rated 171st...

My favorites on this list are in bold font... I could certainly live with Iupati in the first, Wilson in the 2nd, Graham in the 3rd (as a FB), then Cook in the 4th...

Although I am an admitted Sooners fan, I haven't followed Trent Williams that closely to see if he fits in to what we want. I will say this about him. He is a very versatile player and I think he has played at just about every position on the offensive line for Oklahoma, including center.

 

[Verdict]

The interest in Trent Williams might be that Jerry wants to keep all of his starters for one more year for the sake of continuity, keep Free as a future starter, and replace Proctor with Trent Williams, which should be a huge upgrade over Proctor, since Williams can play all 5 positions on the line. Brewster should also be back next year. If that were the case I don't think we would use more than one draft choice on the OL.

 

[jobberone]

How are you going to move from 27 to 20 with a 3rd and a player like Barber? He has a contract that he'd have to renegotiate with another club first off. I don't have access to the value chart right now but I suspect it'd take more than a 3rd to move up.

 

[burmafrd]

A guy that can play all 5 positions is only good if he is DECENT at all 5 positions. That is the question. However if he works out that allows a lot of flexibility.

 

[burmafrd]

Barber has no trade value even if he renegotiates his contract.

 

[Arch Stanton]

This thread needs a bump....

ESPN Watkins: Who the Cowboys like from the Senior Bowl

Jan 27 6:41PM CT
By Calvin Watkins

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Cowboys' scouts and front-office personnel talked to numerous players particpating in the Senior Bowl.

Here are a few of the names the Cowboys are interested in, gathered from talking to scouts, agents and players: RB Ben Tate, Auburn; LB Cameron Sheffield, Troy; DE Brandon Lang, Troy; CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State; G Mike Iupati, Idaho; DL Mike Neal, Purdue; and DB Chris Cook, Virginia.

Now this doesn't mean the Cowboys will draft any of these players. Wilson and Iupati might be gone by the time the Cowboys pick late in the first round. Neal said the Cowboys told him at the East-West Shrine game he didn't fit their defensive scheme.

Cook said the Cowboys talked to him about playing safety.

"I can play both," Cook said after Wednesday's practice. "I'm a football player. I can play man-to-man and zone defense, but my strength is press man."

Cook can also return kicks, though he won't do it at the Senior Bowl. Cook also talked to the Steelers, Bears, Panthers and Dolphins.

Some other players the Cowboys are looking at are Georgia Tech wide receiver DeMaryius Thomas and South Florida wideout Carlton Mitchell.