Wood's Mock Draft 2.0 March 13th, 2009

[Woods]

Round 2
Jairus Byrd, CB, Oregon, 5-10, 207 lbs
Son of Pro Bowler Gil Byrd, the San Diego CB. Finished school only 1 int short of school record. Noted playmaker AND versatility as PR. I think it's easier getting a quality Safety in the later rounds than a CB. Our CBs now look like Newman, Jenkins, Scandrick, and Byrd. And I think with my Draft we can move Ball back to CB as well (as we'll see later on). With Byrd, we will be set at this position and with very good quality. Also, he actually should be available at 51. Importantly, Byrd also has the hands to make the interception. Byrd may not be the "sexy" pick here, but I think it is a very solid pick. And if Newman/Jenkins get injured, we have excellent depth and a potential starter a couple years down the line.

Round 3
D Scott, DT, Clemson, 6-4, 310 lbs.
Scott has the ability to add on another 10-15 lbs on his frame. He should be able to rotate with Ratliff (at least give Ratliff a break) right away. Scott had very good soph and junior years at Clemson, though his senior year was sub-par by his standards (injuries). He should rebound in a big way and is a solid pick in Round 3.

Round 4a.
Cody Brown, OLB, Conn
Very productive and highly decorated player this past season. He should be able to replace Ellis in 2010, and in the meantime, he should get some playing time and play a strong part in STs. He will be able to give Spencer a run for his money and provide strong competition. Cowboys have shown interest in him. I really like his production. He's not one of those players with great measurables and you wonder "how come he didn't produce more?". I believe the Cowboys have shown interest in him.

Round 4b.
Rhett Bomar, QB, Sam Houston State
I think with Bomar our future number 2 QB will be on board. In 3-4 years, he will have real value for the Cowboys - either with us or trade value.

Round 5a.
Z Follett, LB, California, 6-2, 236
Another playmaker, and he should be able to replace Burnett's reps for us. In addition, Follett should make an excellent STs player. Cowboys have shown interest in him.

Round 5b.
Louis Vasquez, OG, Texas Tech
Massive size and a very good pass blocker. He easily takes Berger's position on the OL.

Round 5c.
J Knox, WR, Abilene Christian, 6-0, 185
A bit thin, but he can really fly. Runs sub 4.3 40, and he also been productive in college. Knox adds a deep threat of the WR corps, along with Austin. Over time, his frame should fill out and he can eventually move into the core group of top 4 wideouts. But from Day 1, we should be able to utilize his speed. Also, Knox is experienced as a Punt Returner (like Byrd in Round 2).

Round 6a.
Jonathan Casillas, OLB/SS, Wisconsin, 6-1, 228, 4.5 40
I draft him and move him to SS, playing behind Sensabaugh. Casillas can cover RBs, TEs, and slot WRs. He's got fantastic speed for his size, and on nickel downs he is another candidate to take over Burnett's role. Importantly, Casillas should be a terror on STs as well. He has some injuries, but should be fine now.

Round 6b.
Chris Clemmons, FS, Clemson, 6-1, 210
Another very fast player, and he is also a sure tackler. He has good size and played centerfield for Clemson, and he has playmaking ability. With this pick, we move Ball back to CB. And once again, yet another STs contributor.

Round 7a.
Lydon Murtha, OT, Nebraska, 6-7, 307
For an OT, Murtha is a very good athlete. Unfortunately, he's been injured off and on at Nebraska, so his stock is down. I believe he had the fastest 40 (or one of the fastest) EVER for an OL at the Combine. Not that the 40 is that important for an OL, but this guy's other drills were also good. He may need a year or two in the weightroom, but he should be well worth the wait. I wonder if he can play in some TE sets as well?

Round 7b.
Ra'Shon Harris, DT, Oregon, 6-4, 298
With his size, Harris should have the versatility to play both DT and DE. However, I would like to play him at DE in our 34. He suddently broke out last season at Oregon, so there are concerns he is a one year wonder, but in Round 7, he's definitely worth the risk. The Cowboys have shown interest in this player.

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So, our CBs are now Newman, Jenkins, Scandrick, J Byrd, and Ball. And maybe we sign one more guy in FA, or perhaps Hawkins takes the 6th position. Byrd can also return punts for us.

Our Safeties are Hamlin (FS), Sensabaugh (SS), Casillas (SS), C Clemons (FS), with guys like Watkins, Battle, etc. trying to get a roster spot.

We add Follett (ILB) and Cody Brown (OLB) to the LB group, with Casillas (SS) being able to also play in certain nickel packages.

On the OL, we add Vasquez at OG (replacing Berger), and we add Murtha to the OT mix. Perhaps McQuisten makes the move inside to Guard.

And on the DL, we add real size with D. Scott and Ra'Shon Haris.

We add significant speed to the wideouts with Knox, who can also return punts.

Finally, we are 3 deep at QB - with quality players and a nice mix of veterans and youth.

 

[VACowboy]

Love Byrd and Scott.

 

[Woods]

Love Byrd and Scott.

Thanks.

I think Byrd is especially a relatively low risk player - if that can be said about any draft pick.

Strong bloodlines, excellent productivity, solid starter experience, and from a big program.

 

[BAT]

I like Byrd too, but may not be fast enough to play corner at the next level, may have to move to S. But I love those football playing fools.

 

[Woods]

I like Byrd too, but may not be fast enough to play corner at the next level, may have to move to S. But I love those football playing fools.

I was hoping he could run at his Pro Day. On the other hand, if he ran well, he would probably be out of our range.


From GBNreport.com,

Oregon tweener DE Nick Reed, who measured in at 6-1, 245, ran a solid 4.71-second 40-yard dash, while clocking under 7.0 seconds in the three-cone drill; for good measure, Reed also did 24 reps pressing 225 pounds. Meanwhile, pro scouts were oping to see Ducks' CB Jairus Byrd run, however, he didn't work out because of a strained groin. Ducks WR Jaison Williams, though, did run and clocked under 4.5 seconds for the 40 running on a fast track; the 6-4, 231-pound Williams., who looks the part of a potential elite receiver, but seldom played that way, also had a solid 36.5 VL.

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I'm not sure if Byrd is going to try and run again before the Draft, however.

On a side note, Jaison Williams is big for a WR. I don't know much about him though. Maybe a potential UDFA pick-up?

 

[casmith07]

Don't like the Rhett Bomar pick.

 

[Woods]

Don't like the Rhett Bomar pick.

Who do you prefer at QB in the mid-rounds?

(If any QB, that is)

 

[LeeC53]

a good overall draft with quality high character players,,,,,good job!

 

[Bob Sacamano]

like it alot, not too keen on taking a developmental QB in the 4th though

unless we plan on keeping 3 QBs on the roster, I don't see the point

 

[Woods]

like it alot, not too keen on taking a developmental QB in the 4th though

unless we plan on keeping 3 QBs on the roster, I don't see the point

I think this year JJ is keen on having a developmental QB on the roster. Last year he wanted Booty, but Minn beat us to him.

I'm think we'll look to draft one QB this year. But maybe it will be later on in the Draft and in rounds 5-7.

 

[Common Sense]

I would think Bomar would be good value at the second fourth round pick, if he's there. Supposedly he's creeping up draft boards, I've heard possibly as high as round three -- a reach maybe, but whatever. He's Kiper's 6th rated QB. If you figure Stafford and Sanchez will come off the board in round one, and Josh Freeman or Pat White in 2, that leaves Bomar as one of the top QBs left going into round 3.

 

[DFWJC]

Who do you prefer at QB in the mid-rounds?

(If any QB, that is)

I could see not using a 4th or 5th round pick on a QB, but it'd be fine with it either way. If we were to do that, Bomar woud be a good choice if available.