What are the team's top 3 draft priorities?

Cowboyny said:
There is still a ton of smoke linking the Cowboys with Beckham, ownership wants it to happen. Question is do they do something significant at the DT position or will they just resign Hankins?
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I think the only way they keep Hankins is if he plays for a minimum salary. He can replace Watkins in the teams mind. They won’t pay him though.
 
Cowboyny said:
49ers were a great running team and we held them in check for three quarters, Hankins was a big part of the reason why.
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So was Tank, Parsons, LVE, Kearse, Osa and Wilson. We can live without Hankins.
 
Cowboyny said:
Did you see the games where Hankins was injured, they got killed on the ground.
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The Eagles, the Colts, Titans, and Washington killed us on the ground. :huh: I remember Hankins played against Chicago and Green Bay. Now the latter two teams ran the ball down our throats.
 
CB,CB and DT.i am trading Diggs before the draft if we get a 1st RD pick.
 
It is just a guess as to what positions will be priority, but I’ll take a stab at it:

  • At RB, if they let Elliott go and sign Pollard, they’ll definitely be looking to get a starting caliber RB at some point in the top 3 or 4 rounds. If they keep both (I hope they don’t) they’ll maybe go late round RB or UDFA. If they let both go, I would expect a RB taken somewhere in the first couple of rounds. I would probably tag Pollard, cut Zeke loose and draft a guy like Spears from Tulane.
  • WR is a position that I expect them to look at fairly early. If they sign a free agent WR like OBJ, I’d expect something like a 3rd round stab at this position. With no FA WR, it could be first round. If not first, then likely 2nd.
  • At TE, if they let Shultz walk, they will probably go pretty early (2nd-3rd rd) with a TE. I don’t see a first round TE unless they really love the guy and he is clearly the BPA. If that happens with a guy like Mayer, Washington or Kincaid, then I could see it, but we don’t know how highly the team grades those guys. With the team so focused on getting the run game going with Solari (great hire), I could see them really valuing a guy like Mayer or Washington. It will be interesting to see if they bring those guys in on 30 visits.
  • OL: I don’t expect them to go early unless they have a real high grade on an interior player (read: BPA) and he is inexplicably available later than the team expects. I could be wrong here, but I think they’re pretty happy with their IOL guys. I think they like Farniok better than the fans do. If something crazy happens like OC Schmitz being available at our 2nd round pick, I think that might tempt them into doing it, but I don’t see this high up on the list. I also think they’ll be fine with the OT’s they have, provided things are going okay with Steele’s recovery.
  • CB is an area where I could see them getting by with Diggs/Bland on the outside and Lewis/Mukuamu in the slot… but I do think this is a position where they could easily pull the first round trigger on. I think they’d rather have Bland on the inside with a high level player on the outside opposite Diggs, assuming a player they like at 26 is there, which there probably will be because this is a terrific CB class. There could be another player at 26 that is just so much value that they can’t pass him up (Bijan Robinson for instance) but I half expect CB to be the pick.
  • DT is a position where I feel like Quinn has helped the front office evolve. I do think if the right player was there they would use 26 on a DT… but I simply don’t really see a DT that is a good candidate for that. I would be really surprised if they ended up with a first round DT. The second round is a possibility but again, I’m not sure there will be a good candidate there. This might be an ideal spot to spend a little money in free agency. I don’t think it would be Payne… but maybe a mid range DT if one is available.
  • On the edge, I really don’t see a big need there, particularly if they re-sign Fowler, which I hope they do. However, they value edge rushers so highly that I feel like they’d pull the trigger on one if there is one there they love. Who that might be, I don’t know. Maybe Nolan Smith, who I personally feel like is a really good player, but I’m not sure how the team views him. This is a position they like to spend high picks on.
  • LB is tricky because we have no idea if they’ll bring LVE back or not. If they do, this obviously won’t be a pressing need, but if a guy like Drew Sanders also offers some edge rushing capabilities, then they will value him more. Quinn can scheme up some pass rushing opportunities like he does with Micah, which is really nice to have, but is less necessary if they bring back a guy like Fowler, even though it is technically a different position. If the team brings back LVE and Fowler, I would think a guy like Sanders might not really be needed. With either one leaving, I could justify a guy like Sanders. A guy like Trenton Simpson, I like although I do wonder about his instincts for the position. However, Quinn, if he needs speed and coverage out of a LB (like Simpson has), will not hesitate to just use a big DB like Kearse or Mukuamu at LB… so I’m not sure the team is even that interested in a player like Simpson.
  • Safety should be fine if they bring back Wilson. If they don’t, then they might look for a player here but I don’t really see it in the first couple of rounds. They usually bring in a late round or UDFA guy in every draft. Which reminds me of Bell. He hits like a LB and this season, with a year under his belt, might be a very good candidate to play some nickel LB. The guy is a strong tackler.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknowns here, which is probably why teams are writing everything with pencil at this point. But if I had to guess right now, I’d probably say that CB, WR and either TE, LB or RB, depending on free agency.

The positions where I don’t necessarily see in-house solutions at are CB and WR, which is why I listed them first. I want RB to be a need because I don’t really see Elliott as a guy that I want to keep, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the team does.

I also think they might do a little more in outside free agency this season. Not a whole lot… but more than they have in recent seasons. If so, that will further alter what the team will need out of the draft. By late March, we will have a much better idea of what Dallas will do in the draft.
 
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With the run game looking like it will become a larger focus, I expect a RB drafted in top 3 rounds. Now if Zeke is gone, it's a starting caliber runner, if they bring both Pollard and Zeke back, it's a lower RD developmental RB. WR is also a top 3 round pick, unless we step outside our norm and grab OBJ. Then it would become a 3rd rounder or lower. TE looks to be one of the deeper positions this draft, so grab a blocking TE somewhere unless one of the top guys drops to us. OL is always a need, even tho if Smith and Peters do come back - draft interior anyway.

Safety late, as they are always ST players to start with. DT - Hankins should have shown the Jones's what a true nose can do - Give me one good FA pickup this year, I Want Payne !!!

Now, if we get to #26 and a good Corner is there grab him !

I expect a couple of our high picks to be spent on WR, RB, or TE.

A couple early on Defense CB, LB, and the usual for the remaining picks - we should have 10 total.

2 good FA pickups in Payne and OBJ. And I'd call that a great start !
 
baltcowboy said:
The Eagles, the Colts, Titans, and Washington killed us on the ground. :huh: I remember Hankins played against Chicago and Green Bay. Now the latter two teams ran the ball down our throats.
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you sure have a selective memory

Fields humiliated tank and our edge players
 
AsthmaField said:
It is just a guess as to what positions will be priority, but I’ll take a stab at it:

  • At RB, if they let Elliott go and sign Pollard, they’ll definitely be looking to get a starting caliber RB at some point in the top 3 or 4 rounds. If they keep both (I hope they don’t) they’ll maybe go late round RB or UDFA. If they let both go, I would expect a RB taken somewhere in the first couple of rounds. I would probably tag Pollard, cut Zeke loose and draft a guy like Spears from Tulane.
  • WR is a position that I expect them to look at fairly early. If they sign a free agent WR like OBJ, I’d expect something like a 3rd round stab at this position. With no FA WR, it could be first round. If not first, then likely 2nd.
  • At TE, if they let Shultz walk, they will probably go pretty early (2nd-3rd rd) with a TE. I don’t see a first round TE unless they really love the guy and he is clearly the BPA. If that happens with a guy like Mayer, Washington or Kincaid, then I could see it, but we don’t know how highly the team grades those guys. With the team so focused on getting the run game going with Solari (great hire), I could see them really valuing a guy like Mayer or Washington. It will be interesting to see if they bring those guys in on 30 visits.
  • OL: I don’t expect them to go early unless they have a real high grade on an interior player (read: BPA) and he is inexplicably available later than the team expects. I could be wrong here, but I think they’re pretty happy with their IOL guys. I think they like Farniok better than the fans do. If something crazy happens like OC Schmitz being available at our 2nd round pick, I think that might tempt them into doing it, but I don’t see this high up on the list. I also think they’ll be fine with the OT’s they have, provided things are going okay with Steele’s recovery.
  • CB is an area where I could see them getting by with Diggs/Bland on the outside and Lewis/Mukuamu in the slot… but I do think this is a position where they could easily pull the first round trigger on. I think they’d rather have Bland on the inside with a high level player on the outside opposite Diggs, assuming a player they like at 26 is there, which there probably will be because this is a terrific CB class. There could be another player at 26 that is just so much value that they can’t pass him up (Bijan Robinson for instance) but I half expect CB to be the pick.
  • DT is a position where I feel like Quinn has helped the front office evolve. I do think if the right player was there they would use 26 on a DT… but I simply don’t really see a DT that is a good candidate for that. I would be really surprised if they ended up with a first round DT. The second round is a possibility but again, I’m not sure there will be a good candidate there. This might be an ideal spot to spend a little money in free agency. I don’t think it would be Payne… but maybe a mid range DT if one is available.
  • On the edge, I really don’t see a big need there, particularly if they re-sign Fowler, which I hope they do. However, they value edge rushers so highly that I feel like they’d pull the trigger on one if there is one there they love. Who that might be, I don’t know. Maybe Nolan Smith, who I personally feel like is a really good player, but I’m not sure how the team views him. This is a position they like to spend high picks on.
  • LB is tricky because we have no idea if they’ll bring LVE back or not. If they do, this obviously won’t be a pressing need, but if a guy like Drew Sanders also offers some edge rushing capabilities, then they will value him more. Quinn can scheme up some pass rushing opportunities like he does with Micah, which is really nice to have, but is less necessary if they bring back a guy like Fowler, even though it is technically a different position. If the team brings back LVE and Fowler, I would think a guy like Sanders might not really be needed. With either one leaving, I could justify a guy like Sanders. A guy like Trenton Simpson, I like although I do wonder about his instincts for the position. However, Quinn, if he needs speed and coverage out of a LB (like Simpson has), will not hesitate to just use a big DB like Kearse or Mukuamu at LB… so I’m not sure the team is even that interested in a player like Simpson.
  • Safety should be fine if they bring back Wilson. If they don’t, then they might look for a player here but I don’t really see it in the first couple of rounds. They usually bring in a late round or UDFA guy in every draft. Which reminds me of Bell. He hits like a LB and this season, with a year under his belt, might be a very good candidate to play some nickel LB. The guy is a strong tackler.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknowns here, which is probably why teams are writing everything with pencil at this point. But if I had to guess right now, I’d probably say that CB, WR and either TE, LB or RB, depending on free agency.

The positions where I don’t necessarily see in-house solutions at are CB and WR, which is why I listed them first. I want RB to be a need because I don’t really see Elliott as a guy that I want to keep, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the team does.

I also think they might do a little more in outside free agency this season. Not a whole lot… but more than they have in recent seasons. If so, that will further alter what the team will need out of the draft. By late March, we will have a much better idea of what Dallas will do in the draft.
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Excellent write-up.

Couple of my comments:

-It's looking like Pollard is the favorite to return, but you never know with Jerry wanting to keep Zeke. Think the expectation of taking a high rb (1-3) is real.
-If a veteran is brought in, then the need lessens at WR, but depth has to be addressed. No help in fa, WR becomes the #1 priority need.
-If the team is going to become more run first, a high-end TE would be ideal for all those playaction passes. Great class to need one.
-Their run game has really falter late in seasons, if Tyron comes back it's a lesser need, but they still could upgrade G/C.
-As for corner, what happens if Wilson departs, who replaces him? Believe they are going to fall in love with Ringo's traits.
-Have my doubts about signing or drafting a high caliber DT, but they may bring in another Hankins type.
-Think Lve returns, Quinn mentioned he was his most improved player.

I would have CB, RB, WR/TE as their top priorities.
 
AsthmaField said:
It is just a guess as to what positions will be priority, but I’ll take a stab at it:

  • At RB, if they let Elliott go and sign Pollard, they’ll definitely be looking to get a starting caliber RB at some point in the top 3 or 4 rounds. If they keep both (I hope they don’t) they’ll maybe go late round RB or UDFA. If they let both go, I would expect a RB taken somewhere in the first couple of rounds. I would probably tag Pollard, cut Zeke loose and draft a guy like Spears from Tulane.
  • WR is a position that I expect them to look at fairly early. If they sign a free agent WR like OBJ, I’d expect something like a 3rd round stab at this position. With no FA WR, it could be first round. If not first, then likely 2nd.
  • At TE, if they let Shultz walk, they will probably go pretty early (2nd-3rd rd) with a TE. I don’t see a first round TE unless they really love the guy and he is clearly the BPA. If that happens with a guy like Mayer, Washington or Kincaid, then I could see it, but we don’t know how highly the team grades those guys. With the team so focused on getting the run game going with Solari (great hire), I could see them really valuing a guy like Mayer or Washington. It will be interesting to see if they bring those guys in on 30 visits.
  • OL: I don’t expect them to go early unless they have a real high grade on an interior player (read: BPA) and he is inexplicably available later than the team expects. I could be wrong here, but I think they’re pretty happy with their IOL guys. I think they like Farniok better than the fans do. If something crazy happens like OC Schmitz being available at our 2nd round pick, I think that might tempt them into doing it, but I don’t see this high up on the list. I also think they’ll be fine with the OT’s they have, provided things are going okay with Steele’s recovery.
  • CB is an area where I could see them getting by with Diggs/Bland on the outside and Lewis/Mukuamu in the slot… but I do think this is a position where they could easily pull the first round trigger on. I think they’d rather have Bland on the inside with a high level player on the outside opposite Diggs, assuming a player they like at 26 is there, which there probably will be because this is a terrific CB class. There could be another player at 26 that is just so much value that they can’t pass him up (Bijan Robinson for instance) but I half expect CB to be the pick.
  • DT is a position where I feel like Quinn has helped the front office evolve. I do think if the right player was there they would use 26 on a DT… but I simply don’t really see a DT that is a good candidate for that. I would be really surprised if they ended up with a first round DT. The second round is a possibility but again, I’m not sure there will be a good candidate there. This might be an ideal spot to spend a little money in free agency. I don’t think it would be Payne… but maybe a mid range DT if one is available.
  • On the edge, I really don’t see a big need there, particularly if they re-sign Fowler, which I hope they do. However, they value edge rushers so highly that I feel like they’d pull the trigger on one if there is one there they love. Who that might be, I don’t know. Maybe Nolan Smith, who I personally feel like is a really good player, but I’m not sure how the team views him. This is a position they like to spend high picks on.
  • LB is tricky because we have no idea if they’ll bring LVE back or not. If they do, this obviously won’t be a pressing need, but if a guy like Drew Sanders also offers some edge rushing capabilities, then they will value him more. Quinn can scheme up some pass rushing opportunities like he does with Micah, which is really nice to have, but is less necessary if they bring back a guy like Fowler, even though it is technically a different position. If the team brings back LVE and Fowler, I would think a guy like Sanders might not really be needed. With either one leaving, I could justify a guy like Sanders. A guy like Trenton Simpson, I like although I do wonder about his instincts for the position. However, Quinn, if he needs speed and coverage out of a LB (like Simpson has), will not hesitate to just use a big DB like Kearse or Mukuamu at LB… so I’m not sure the team is even that interested in a player like Simpson.
  • Safety should be fine if they bring back Wilson. If they don’t, then they might look for a player here but I don’t really see it in the first couple of rounds. They usually bring in a late round or UDFA guy in every draft. Which reminds me of Bell. He hits like a LB and this season, with a year under his belt, might be a very good candidate to play some nickel LB. The guy is a strong tackler.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknowns here, which is probably why teams are writing everything with pencil at this point. But if I had to guess right now, I’d probably say that CB, WR and either TE, LB or RB, depending on free agency.

The positions where I don’t necessarily see in-house solutions at are CB and WR, which is why I listed them first. I want RB to be a need because I don’t really see Elliott as a guy that I want to keep, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the team does.

I also think they might do a little more in outside free agency this season. Not a whole lot… but more than they have in recent seasons. If so, that will further alter what the team will need out of the draft. By late March, we will have a much better idea of what Dallas will do in the draft.
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Good analysis...............I think they will go WR at 26, maybe the USC kid

Jerry basically admitted they screwed up at WR last year thinking Gallup would be his old self again and he obviously wasnt ready to play.
 
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Good lord, I made the mistake of listening to Jeff and Dave Helman. Jeff wants the Cowboys to draft two wide receivers or two running backs with our first three picks. :facepalm: He also wants Tyler to be a guard even though he looked like the best left tackle in the draft. Some draft nicks never will admit they are wrong.
 
AsthmaField said:
It is just a guess as to what positions will be priority, but I’ll take a stab at it:

  • At RB, if they let Elliott go and sign Pollard, they’ll definitely be looking to get a starting caliber RB at some point in the top 3 or 4 rounds. If they keep both (I hope they don’t) they’ll maybe go late round RB or UDFA. If they let both go, I would expect a RB taken somewhere in the first couple of rounds. I would probably tag Pollard, cut Zeke loose and draft a guy like Spears from Tulane.
  • WR is a position that I expect them to look at fairly early. If they sign a free agent WR like OBJ, I’d expect something like a 3rd round stab at this position. With no FA WR, it could be first round. If not first, then likely 2nd.
  • At TE, if they let Shultz walk, they will probably go pretty early (2nd-3rd rd) with a TE. I don’t see a first round TE unless they really love the guy and he is clearly the BPA. If that happens with a guy like Mayer, Washington or Kincaid, then I could see it, but we don’t know how highly the team grades those guys. With the team so focused on getting the run game going with Solari (great hire), I could see them really valuing a guy like Mayer or Washington. It will be interesting to see if they bring those guys in on 30 visits.
  • OL: I don’t expect them to go early unless they have a real high grade on an interior player (read: BPA) and he is inexplicably available later than the team expects. I could be wrong here, but I think they’re pretty happy with their IOL guys. I think they like Farniok better than the fans do. If something crazy happens like OC Schmitz being available at our 2nd round pick, I think that might tempt them into doing it, but I don’t see this high up on the list. I also think they’ll be fine with the OT’s they have, provided things are going okay with Steele’s recovery.
  • CB is an area where I could see them getting by with Diggs/Bland on the outside and Lewis/Mukuamu in the slot… but I do think this is a position where they could easily pull the first round trigger on. I think they’d rather have Bland on the inside with a high level player on the outside opposite Diggs, assuming a player they like at 26 is there, which there probably will be because this is a terrific CB class. There could be another player at 26 that is just so much value that they can’t pass him up (Bijan Robinson for instance) but I half expect CB to be the pick.
  • DT is a position where I feel like Quinn has helped the front office evolve. I do think if the right player was there they would use 26 on a DT… but I simply don’t really see a DT that is a good candidate for that. I would be really surprised if they ended up with a first round DT. The second round is a possibility but again, I’m not sure there will be a good candidate there. This might be an ideal spot to spend a little money in free agency. I don’t think it would be Payne… but maybe a mid range DT if one is available.
  • On the edge, I really don’t see a big need there, particularly if they re-sign Fowler, which I hope they do. However, they value edge rushers so highly that I feel like they’d pull the trigger on one if there is one there they love. Who that might be, I don’t know. Maybe Nolan Smith, who I personally feel like is a really good player, but I’m not sure how the team views him. This is a position they like to spend high picks on.
  • LB is tricky because we have no idea if they’ll bring LVE back or not. If they do, this obviously won’t be a pressing need, but if a guy like Drew Sanders also offers some edge rushing capabilities, then they will value him more. Quinn can scheme up some pass rushing opportunities like he does with Micah, which is really nice to have, but is less necessary if they bring back a guy like Fowler, even though it is technically a different position. If the team brings back LVE and Fowler, I would think a guy like Sanders might not really be needed. With either one leaving, I could justify a guy like Sanders. A guy like Trenton Simpson, I like although I do wonder about his instincts for the position. However, Quinn, if he needs speed and coverage out of a LB (like Simpson has), will not hesitate to just use a big DB like Kearse or Mukuamu at LB… so I’m not sure the team is even that interested in a player like Simpson.
  • Safety should be fine if they bring back Wilson. If they don’t, then they might look for a player here but I don’t really see it in the first couple of rounds. They usually bring in a late round or UDFA guy in every draft. Which reminds me of Bell. He hits like a LB and this season, with a year under his belt, might be a very good candidate to play some nickel LB. The guy is a strong tackler.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of unknowns here, which is probably why teams are writing everything with pencil at this point. But if I had to guess right now, I’d probably say that CB, WR and either TE, LB or RB, depending on free agency.

The positions where I don’t necessarily see in-house solutions at are CB and WR, which is why I listed them first. I want RB to be a need because I don’t really see Elliott as a guy that I want to keep, but we’ll just have to wait and see what the team does.

I also think they might do a little more in outside free agency this season. Not a whole lot… but more than they have in recent seasons. If so, that will further alter what the team will need out of the draft. By late March, we will have a much better idea of what Dallas will do in the draft.
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Honestly you can make a case for just about any position.

That being said we have to get more weapons on offense. Ideally they attack this in FA but I wouldn’t mind doubling down in the draft as well.
 
TE/WR/DT

then depending upon deals for their own.
CB/LB/RB/OG/K/P

If you are following along that means Dallas can essentially draft BPA every pick.
just stop mocking Edges to Dallas for the love of all that is holy.
 
baltcowboy said:
Good lord, I made the mistake of listening to Jeff and Dave Helman. Jeff wants the Cowboys to draft two wide receivers or two running backs with our first three picks. :facepalm: He also wants Tyler to be a guard even though he looked like the best left tackle in the draft. Some draft nicks never will admit they are wrong.
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I like Jeff as a person and his non-sports takes are compassionate, but he is very unserious as a sports analyst.
He is passionate about the draft but he picked up that passion like 5 years ago and he simply hasn't done it long enough to realize you can't get so certain about much of anything.
 
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