Okay, so the season's over. We finished 8-8. Despite the fact that most of us expected an up and down season with a record around .500, the usual "Jerry Jones Is the Worst GM in Football" ranting and raving is in full swing.

There are the self-proclaimed Cowboys' Nostradamus' telling any soul that will listen "We're doomed. As long as Jerry Jones is the GM we're doomed. Optimism, don't allow yourself such a luxury for you shall surely come to rue it...." If one of them was a robot with gold plating from a long time ago and a galaxy far away I would not be surprised.

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First, I'd like to give a brief background on my thoughts as a Cowboys fan as I've watched my favorite team through the 90s.  Then we'll get into my thoughts on what should happen this offseason.

I was born into the 90s Cowboys.  I was five years old when the Boys won their first of three Super Bowls of the 90s.  By the time I was eight we had won three and exorcised the demons of two Super Bowl losses to the Steelers, which were all too familiar to my Dad.  (I, also, was exposed to those gut-wrenching losses through Steve Sabol and NFL films.)  It was great!!!

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Hey guys offseason boredom has hit seeing as Jerry is, wisely I think, not doing anything in free agency so far and the Combine is over.  I read this article on the national football post http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Is-Dez-Bryants-draft-stock-falling-fast.html, and it got me to thinking, what would Jerry do if Dez Bryant fell the same way Randy Moss did?

If Dez's stock continues to fall before the draft I'm sure we'd be here asking that question so because I'm bored I decided to tackle the question preemptively.  My answer depends on how much of a head case Dez is.  But the idea intrigues me.  Sure Dez is a bit of a head case but I can live with head cases that produce and don't blame their qb, so Dez as of now passes those tests.

However, their are two Dallas pass catchers who currently draw my ire more than Jerry Jones' early 2000's drafts, and they epitomize the attitude I do not want from any pass catcher on  the Cowboys.  If we thought Dez's attitude similar we need to take evasive action. 

First: Roy Williams (Is it a coincidence that RW is WR but in reverse, I think not, whoever posted that recently is a genius)

I know the biggest objection to drafting Dez will be this would mean that we would have to cut Roy, but it's 13 mil in an uncapped season and he's off the team forever.  Jerry says he won't do it, but Stephen needs to take Jerry out to the woodshed and show him the game tape of Roy late in the season.  And none of this Roy is a good blocker bs.  If that's what you want let's put Doug Free out there.  

I don't hate Roy Williams don't get me wrong, but I hate what he does to the offense.  Every time he's on the field, he makes the offense worse.  When he's on the field it's 10 on 11.  If that isn't bad enough what's worse is Roy seems fine with it.  All the I'm a number 1 receiver, we're just not on the same page bs.  AS A RECEIVER YOUR JOB IS TO MAKE YOUR QUARTERBACK LOOK GOOD.  That means you don't drop the ball, you go over the middle, you give 110%, you don't smile when something goes wrong, you take pride in being the best you can be, and YOU DON'T BLAME ANYONE, PARTICULARLY THE QUARTERBACK for you assinine play (the we're not on the same page bs is either blaming Romo or admitting to being underprepared and therefore not belonging on the field). 

Second: Martellus Bennett

While were on the subject of idiot pass catchers, apparently Martellus Bennett thinks he should get the ball more.  This is what I have to say to you Marty B PLAY BETTER AND YOU WILL GET THE BALL MORE.  Don't drop the ball, run good routes, block well and you'll get plenty of playing time.

Final Word:

Now the only thing I have left to say to Roy, Marty, and Dez if we did draft him, is this  "IF YOU WANT TO TALK THE TALK YOU BETTER WALK THE WALK."  

Moral of the story for Jerry:

 This is a put up or shut up league.  Roy and Tellus talk a lot and don't do much else.  They don't belong on the Cowboys roster.  Last offseason we got rid of a lot of those loud mouthed yahoos now it's time to finish the job.  And don't draft any new ones either--that means unless Dez can play some serious ball, let him go somewhere else, we don't need any more UNDERACHIEVING, WELL-PAID, LOUD-MOUTHED YAHOOS on this team.

Hey guys, I've been taking in the free agency signings and thinking about how the restricted free agent market is going to play out.  This is my take.

First, Jerry always has said that around draft time picks get overvalued and players undervalued.  While I don't generally agree with Jerry the GM, I do agree with him on this point.  That means that we will get better value for our draft picks if we wait.  Also, I think for the most part teams tend to apply higher tenders to players than where the player actually grades out.  Following this logic, assuming the team is actually willing to part with the player for the right price, the price to get him probably comes down if we wait.

I recently posted that Jared Gaither OT BAL might be an interesting possibility for us in the restricted free agent market.  I think many of us concluded that it was something worth looking into.  I'm starting to feel like waiting and if we decide we want him, trying to trade for him after the restricted free agency period is over (Raf also suggested something like this in the Jared Gaither? thread, and Raf is wise), if

1. No team tries to sign Jared Gaither for the first round compensation he is currently tendered at.  Obviously, if a team does try and sign Jared Gaither, then we would need to try and sign him also if we wanted him.  If BAL met the offer of this team (or ours if we offered), then it is doubtful we would've been able to sign him away anyways.

2. He is not a part of BAL long term plans (we don't know but here a few possible reasons why he may not be: the development of Michael Oher, the fact that he was tendered only a first round selection, Gaither will want to be paid Left Tackle money next offseason, but Oher can play left tackle and will eventually want that money too ).  If this is the case then, BAL will want to get something in return for him.

If both 1 happens and 2 is correct, then I think the asking price on Gaither would come down.  Look how the Anquan Boldin situation panned out, the Cardinals definitely got less for him by asking too much for him in the first place and holding out for it only to part with him for less later.  I'm not saying these situations are parallel, I'm merely suggesting that if 1 and 2 happen the Cowboys would have some leverage to bring the asking price down. 

I know that some of us would be willing to part with our first rounder for him or another restricted free agent, but why give up our first rounder if we don't need to and before we need to.  We don't have to make what would essentially be trading our first for Gaither  until we are on the clock and know who is there.  What if Earl Thomas is there?  What if Anthony Davis is there?  What if Mike Iupati is there?  What if Joe Haden inexplicably falls to our pick?  Wouldn't you like the flexibility to say, I'll take Earl Thomas, thank you very much.  How many of you would be upset if we gave up our first round pick and then Earl Thomas did fall to 27?  What if we could get him for say a 2nd and 4th in  2011 instead of a first.  Even if Roy Williams and Anquan Boldin were equally productive, do you want to give up a 1st, 3rd, 6th and 7th or a 3rd and a 4th?  Uhh, don't know about you, but I'd prefer the second deal.

What the Cowboys should be doing now is our due diligence on players they are interested in without tipping their hand.

I think if we do this perhaps we could be looking at

1. Best Free Safety Available:  Nate Allen or Earl Thomas

2. traded for Jared Gaither

3.  Alex Carrington, DE, Arkansas State or Tony Washington, OT, Abilene Christian

4.  Marcus Easely, WR, UConn  (quincyyyy's guy)

6.  Clifton Geathers, DE, South Carolina (he may not last this long)

7.  Walter McFadden, CB, Auburn

Also, I'd like to quickly address what may happen with some of our RFA's

First, of all, I'm getting the vibe, that Marcus Spears, will be traded.  Perhaps not,  but I think that Jerry might see Spears as a maxed out player and perhaps a progress stopper for Bowen, Hatcher, and Dixon, and will look to get what he can, perhaps a trade with the Dolphins (Parcells likes his own guys).  Plus, Spears will be cheap for the team he goes to, and they can play a wait see approach with whether or not to offer him a long term deal.  

Second, I think there's a strong possibility that Hamlin gets cut, or Sensabaugh is traded/signed away.  I think Jerry likes Mike Hamlin and Alan Ball, and I think they'll add another safety early in the draft.

Third, I think that one of the Adams/Columbo/McQuistan trio will not be on the team come the 2010 nfl season with the early front runners being Adams and McQuistan.

What do you all think?

He fits the profile of a Cowboys lineman, at 6-9 340 and he's only 23 (per ESPN), and he is likely to receive a first round tender per ESPN.

NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that the Baltimore Ravens are placing the first round RFA tender on Jared Gaither.

Also, this is what the scouting section of the ESPN player profiler says,

Gaither is a young, ascending player and the Ravens' starting left tackle. He has tremendous size, particularly with his extreme height and overall length, to man the blind side. However, there are times when his high center of gravity is used against Gaither. Gaither remains a work in progress but is a punishing finisher in Baltimore's power blocking scheme. As he gains experience, his hand placement and understanding of his opponent will improve.

Now, considering that it seems likely Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga, Bruce Campbell, Anthony Davis, Trent Williams, and Mike Iupati will be gone by the time we pick I think it makes some sense to look into this option.  We know he can play already, so there's less risk.  I think that if the Cowboys scouting department would grade him higher than any lineman we could get in round 1, we should at least consider making him an offer.

Also, we would have a legitimate shot at signing him away seeing as the Ravens have Michael Oher who they know can play the left side and so might decide to part with him for a first rounder.  

Another thing to consider is our first rounder may  very well have only second round value (depending on how many first round grades our scouts assign) and thus our pick is more like a high second rounder.  

My only reservation, is we can't know who would fall to us at 27 right now, and I don't like trading draft picks for players.  (Every time I think of the Joey Galloway or Roy Williams trades I get very angry, all the young talent we gave up for them).  

However, this may be the best shot we have at shoring up our line and considering Jerry's comments concerning whether or not we can get another good year from Flo, this should be looked into in my opinion.  Your thoughts?

Hey guys, well the offseason is almost here.  I thought I'd talk a little relating to the draft.  I read this blog all the time and love it, it is way better than 'BSPN' and I appreciate the perspective that I get here.  Second to none.

Ok now to my thoughts on the Cowboys draft.

First our draft position is important (from wikipedia--not sure about the accuracy, but it seems right)

1 (27)

2 (59)

3 (90)

4 (122)

and so on.

The main thing I take away from our position is that it is really doubtful that we will be able to acquire an elite OT that could start this year.

This leads in to one point I'd like to make.  First I am certainly on the improve the line bandwagon, just watch the Vikings game and you will be too if you're not already.  However, I'm not on the our first pick or even our second pick has to be a o-lineman.  My reasons are the following.

First even guys drafted in the top 10 as o-lineman don't always contribute right away--for a recent example, look no further than Jason Smith.  Now I'm aware there are Joe Thomas's and Jake Long's out there as well, but raise your hand if you think that a guy like that is going to be available at 27 (It's possible however, a la Michael Oher to the Ravens a year ago).

Also, not that I'm advocating this approach, but both starting left tackles of the teams in the Super Bowl, the Colts Charlie Johnson and the Saints Jeremy Bushrod (I know Demarcus owned him and that was amazing) were not high draft picks (not sure they were drafted at all? quincyyyyy?).  I think one of the reasons this works though has to do with the offensive schemes of the Colts and Saints, but I really haven't thought about it much or researched it.

Conclusion:

In our position in the draft, I think that drafting interior lineman/RT that can contribute right away seems to be the way to go.  That said let's look at some guys I'm interested in keeping an eye on.

Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho (current grade: 1st round)

By now I think that many have or are considering trumpeting drafting this guy who we should call 'Big Mike' as the next Nate Newton and step 1 in improving our o-line.  However, while I'd also like to see Mike wearing the star here are a couple things to consider.  Right now, I think Mike is overvalued.  Yes, he will run you over, but I also think that he is not all that great of a pass blocker yet (watch the senior bowl)--he needs some work in that department IMO.  He's good but he's not Steve Hutchinson coming out of Michigan.  Also, because he is overvalued  I don't think he slips to 27, and I am not of the mind that it's worth trading up to draft an OG.

Maurkice Pouncey, OC/OG, Florida (current grade: early 2nd round)

I think that assuming he stays graded out as an early second round selection, we could trade back and draft him.  I think he would be a great addition and will be a great pro.  He would also provide some versatility.  However, I think we should only draft him if we're sure he can play guard because I think he should take Kosier's spot at LG.  I'm not a fan of moving Gurode to guard (I think he played there earlier in his career with little success).  Then in a couple of years he can slide down and take Gurode's spot if we decide that's best.

Vladimir Ducasse, OG/OT, UMass (current grade: 1st-3rd rounds)

Ok, I'm going to come out and say it, we should not draft him before the 3rd round.  He is a developmental prospect.  He will not be ready for at least a year.  I love his potential, but he was exposed at the Senior Bowl as very raw.  I was pleased that he bounced back and had a decent showing in the game though.  At this point, I think he also projects best to guard or RT.

John Jerry, OG/OT, Ole Miss (current grade: 3rd-4th round)

This guy is my o-line 'pet cat' to use a favorite term of some btbers.  He played at a high level in the SEC.  I think the would make a great guard, I think possibly better than Iupati, Ducasse, or Pouncey.  He played RT at the college level I believe, but doesn't have the quickness to stay there by most accounts.  He did very well at the Senior Bowl and he seems the most complete guard in terms of run blocking and pass blocking to me.

A couple others to keep and eye on:

Jared Veldheer, OT, Hilsdale

Roger Saffold, OT, Indiana

So you may ask if you don't think that we should draft an o-lineman with our first two picks what should we do with them? Alright, here goes and I'm prepared for strong opposition and I'd love to hear your opinions, but I think our first two picks should be spent on

Sean Weatherspoon, ILB, Missouri

I can already here the, "but we drafted to ILB's last year Stephen Hodge and Jason Williams".  True, and I particularly love Jason Williams, I think he's going to be a stud, (Hodge I think will be an awesome special teamer and very good nickel 'backer').  However, I think that the Brooking and James duo will be together one more year and that's it.  To me James is the vanilla 3-4 inside backer, nothing flashy, very dependable.  Brooking's play was good this year if not great and I won't complain.  Thing is when we lose him, it'll be like losing the heart and soul on defense.  Yes, Ware is unbelievable, but he's a silent assasin.  Jenkins is becoming a man out a CB, so is Spencer at OLB.  Ratliff is the ultimate lunchpail guy, love him as well. 

But for the defense to be great we need a guy who gives the "bloody their noses" speech, a guy who loves hitting the crap out of the opponent and sees it as a failure if the other team doesn't go home wishing they hadn't made the trip to the stadium.  "Spoon" has this.  He has energy, the energy that ignites a defense to greatness.  Great D's have that attitude that we are gonna knock you out son, "fly like a butterfly sting like a bee".  Wade Phillips is a mastermind, I give him that, but he doesn't bring that attitude to the defense as say a Rex Ryan does for the Jets.  Thus, we need a player to bring that (we know that, e.g. Brooking), I think that guy in the future is "Spoon".  I know that I'm heaping expectations on the guy and he doesn't have a star on his helmet, and you can tell me it's foolish, but that's my thinking.  The other factor is that I think that Jason Williams won't be ready for another year, i.e., if we drafted "Spoon" the evolution of our ILB position would look like 

2010 Starters:  Brooking and James

2011 Starters: Weatherspoon and Williams

"Spoon" could learn from Brooking and Williams could continue to learn in 2010 and in 2011 they could start.

Nate Allen, FS, South Florida

Look for me this is simple.  Newman, Jenkins, Scandrick, are good and the younger to are getting better all the time.  Sensabaugh is solid, Hamlin soso,  Ball will have to prove something this year or I think he's a career backup.  Allen, aside from Berry and possibley Earl Thomas is the best cover safety.  At the Senior Bowl, he did really well in the man-on-man coverage drills.  I think he puts our coverage on defense over the top, because he could play center field and also cover man-to-man.

So to conclude this part of my long very early offseason assessment, the first three draft picks for the Cowboys should be:

1(27) Sean Weatherspoon, ILB, Missourri

2(59) Nate Allen, FS, South Florida

3(90) John Jerry, OG, Ole Miss

The outcome of drafting these players via theoretical Vikings rematch.  Jerry starts in place of Kosier, Free starts at left tackle and we stymie the Williams Wall most plays, allowing for us to focus on Jared Allen, reducing his impact on the game.  Nate Allen being better in coverage helps the defense to hold the Vikings to less than the 34 points they put on us that day. 

I don't know if that changes the outcome, but I don't think that drafting tons of o-lineman will change the ouctome next year either.  They take time to develop, and let's be honest we can dream of a o-line as good as it was in the mid 90s but it's a dream, teams such as the Colts and the Saints win without perfect o-lines, so can we.  I do think we need new blood, but I only look for one o-lineman pick in the 2010 draft to come in and make an immediate impact and I think it will be a guard to take Kosier's position.  I also think Free starts at LT.  If I were to continue this Cowboys mock I'd also add another lineman or two.  

Anyways, for those of you who read my post, thanks for trudging through my early offseason thougths.  Hope it was a good read.  The info on the players comes from reading tons of draftnik stuff.  I'd like to hear what you have to say.  I expect disagreement.  It'll be fun to hear differing opinions.

So admittedly I don't think we'll stay in all these picks.  Also thanks for the feedback from those of you who looked at my fisrt mock draft.  Anyways here it is, short and sweet.

2 (51) Louis Delmas, Western Michigan, FS 5-11 202
3 (69) Lawrence Sidbury, Richmond, OLB 6-2 266
4 (103) Sammie Lee Hill, Stillman, DT 6-4 329
4 (119) Jason Williams, Western Illinois, OLB 6-1 241
5 (157) Joel Bell, Furman, OT 6-7 315
5 (167) Bradley Fletcher, Iowa, CB 6-1 196
6 (172) Mike Wallace, Mississippi, WR 6-0 199
6 (197) Cornelius Lewis, Tennessee State, G 6-3 332
6 (208) Everette Pedescleaux, Northern Iowa, DE 6-6 305
7 (211) Vaughn Martin, Western Ontario DT 6-3 331
7 (228) Matt Slauson, Nebraska, G 6-6 313

ESPN is reporting that a deal that will send Jason Peters from the Buffalo Bills to the Philadelphia Eagles for a first rounder (#28) and fourth rounder in this upcoming NFL draft and a conditional pick in 2010. Also, it appears that Braylon Edwards (most likely) or Anquan Boldin will be wearing a Giants uniform soon.  What does this mean for the balance of power in the NFC East, I’m not sure, but it’s going to be the toughest division in football, no doubt about it.  What do you guys make of the offseason moves in the NFC East?

Here’s a look at the Free Agent additions and subtractions in the NFC East (I got this information from Fox Sports).


Cowboys-
Additions
LB Keith Brooking (FA, ATL)
QB John Kitna (trade, DET)
DE Igor Olshansky (FA, SD)
S Gerald Sensabaugh (FA, JAX)
LB Matt Stewart (FA, DNP in 2008)

Subtractions
LB Kevin Burnett (FA, SD)
DE Chris Canty (FA, NYG)
CB Anthony Henry (trade, DET)
QB Brad Johnson (cut)
DT Tank Johnson (FA, CIN)
CB Adam "Pacman" Jones (cut)
WR Terrell Owens (cut, BUF)
LB Zach Thomas (FA, KC)
S Roy Williams (cut)

Resigned
DE Stephen Bowen
G Cory Procter

Giants-
Additions
DT Rocky Bernard (FA, SEA)
LB Michael Boley (FA, ATL)
S C.C. Brown (FA, HOU)
DE Chris Canty (FA, DAL)
TE Lee Vickers (FA, DNP in '08)

Subtractions
WR Plaxico Burress (cut)
S James Butler (FA, STL)
RB Reuben Droughns (cut)
S Sammy Knight (cut)
CB Sam Madison (cut)
RB Derrick Ward (FA, TB)
DE Renaldo Wynn (FA, WSH)

Resigned

QB David Carr
CB Kevin Dockery
DT Leger Douzable
RB Brandon Jacobs (franchise)
TE Darcy Johnson
DE Dave Tollefson

Eagles-
Additions
OT Jason Peters (trade, BUF)
OT Stacy Andrews (FA, CIN)
S Rashad Baker (FA, OAK)
RB Eldra Buckley (waivers, SD)
DL Amon Gordon (waivers, TEN)
LB Charleston Hughes (FA, CFL in '08)
S Sean Jones (FA, CLE)
CB Byron Parker (FA, CFL in '08)
FB Leonard Weaver (FA, SEA)

Subtractions
RB Correll Buckhalter (FA, DEN)
S Sean Considine (FA, JAX)
S Brian Dawkins (FA, DEN)
WR Greg Lewis (trade, NE)
CB Lito Sheppard (trade, NYJ)
TE L.J. Smith (FA, BAL)
OT Tra Thomas (FA, JAX)

Resigned
OL Nick Cole
LB Tank Daniels
CB Joselio Hanson

Redskins-
Additions
RB Anthony Aldridge (waivers, DEN)
P Zacrey Atterberry (FA, DNP in '08)
LS Jeremy Cain (FA, DNP in '08)
G Derrick Dockery (cut, BUF)
RB Dominique Dorsey (FA, CFL in '08)
FB Jonathan Evans (FA, DNP in '08)
DB Michael Grant (FA, DNP in '08)
DT Albert Haynesworth (FA, TEN)
P Dirk Johnson (FA, cut by ARZ in '08)
K Dave Raynor (FA, cut by CIN in '08)
OL Isaiah Ross (FA, cut by MIN in '08)
LB Robert Thomas (FA, cut by OAK in '08)
DE Renaldo Wynn (FA, NYG)

Subtractions-
DE Demetric Evans (FA, SF)
P Ryan Plackemeier (waivers, CIN)
LB Matt Sinclair (cut)
CB Shawn Springs (cut, NE)
DE Jason Taylor (cut)
LB Marcus Washington (cut)

Resigned-
LS Ethan Albright
P Ryan Plackemeier (waivers, CIN)
LB Matt Sinclair (cut)
CB Shawn Springs (cut, NE)
DE Jason Taylor (cut)
LB Marcus Washington (cut)    
DE Phillip Daniels
S Reed Doughty
LB Alfred Fincher
DT Kedric Golston
WR Marques Hagans
CB DeAngelo Hall
DT Anthony Montgomery
OL Rueben Riley
LB Tyson Smith
K Shaun Suisham
CB Byron Westbrook

Okay, so admittedly I might have some guys falling too far, but I have them getting drafted somewhere consistent with their grades as given by scouts, inc. (See ESPN), cbs sports, and draft countdown.  This draft also may be a little bit of wishful thinking, but for the most part I think it’s solid.  I tried to have us drafting guys we’ve shown interest in (Gilbert, Sidbury, Fletcher, and McGee will all have visited and we had reps at the North Carolina pro day most likely to look at Hicks, Tate, and Foster; I have us taking Foster).  Also, I tried to draft for need without sacrificing value (that would be the reason why we don’t select a safety until the 6th round where we take two possibilities, Fletcher, and Spillman.  In my opinion they both have the tools to develop and are good values where we are getting them.  Also, I think next years safety class will be better and I don’t think a safety we draft this year will start.  I think Sensabaugh is certainly the short term solution and could be the long term solution.)  For the same reason I don’t have us taking a DT until the 7th round, admittedly a bit late, but again I’m not excited about and DT’s outside of Raji and Hood and we’re not getting either.  Also, the front office seems to feel pretty okay with what they have up the middle, and I think the problem last year had more to do with Thomas being an awful fit as a middle linebacker in a 3-4 than anything else.  I also looked at the implications of my mock draft.  Anyways comments, questions, thoughts would be great. I just want us to have a good draft and hopefully we can pick up a future starter in every round.

-TheTriplets

Cowboys Mock Draft 2009
2 (51) Jarron Gilbert, DT/DE San Jose State,
Unbelievable athlete.  Guys with his athletic ability don’t grow on trees.  In a couple of years he’ll be better than Tyson Jackson.  He could work into the rotation playing DE on first and second downs when either Spears or Olshansky need to catch their breath, and then slide inside on third downs and get after the quarterback (this is where I think he could fit in right away).  With Ware, Ratliff, Gilbert, and Ellis/Spencer (or in this scenario Sidbury) getting after the quarterback teams won’t have much time when they’re throwing on third downs and with improved safety play (Sensabaugh will be better this year than you might expect, and honestly outside of Delmas who’ll be gone by this point, there’s no one in this draft who can step in and play to his level), we’ll get more interceptions, which would be great.  It took them way too long to get a int last year.

3 (69) Lawrence Sidbury, OLB, Richmond, 6-2, 266
He’s got the tools and scouts inc. gives him a rating of exceptional when it comes to pass rushing ability.  Runs a 4.53 in the forty and a 4.43 in the shuttle.  He would replace Ellis and provide depth behind Spencer and Ware.  I actually think he’ll be better than Spencer who’s never done anything special.  Also a note, if Sidbury’s not here, a guy by the name of Jason Williams, out of Western Illinois could be a steal.

4 (103) Jasper Brinkely, ILB, South Carolina, 6-1, 241
Runs the 40 in a 4.63 in the forty, strong, pretty good athlete, a thumper in the middle.  He’ll immediately provide depth behind Brady James.  I don’t think the Cowboys should draft him though if they don’t see him as the replacement to Keith Brooking however, otherwise we drafted a permanent backup who unlike Kevin Burnett can’t cover in a nickel situation.  In truth, I’d rather we drafted the aforementioned Jason Williams out of Western Illinois who is 6-1 241 and runs a 4.50 forty and he’s a good if not great athlete and move him inside.

4  (119) Mike Wallace, WR, Mississippi, 6-1, 199
Has good size, fast.  Especially if we lose Austin this is a guy who with 4.33 speed could allow us to stretch the field.  Fits the mold of a Cowboys wide receiver except that he’s fast.  Austin is the only other receiver on our roster with comparable speed.   (update: Austin doesn’t have an offer yet, which doesn’t say he won’t get one but hey at least he doesn’t have one yet). 

5 (157) Brooks Foster, WR, North Carolina, 6-1, 201
Runs a 4.45 forty.  Benched 225 27 times at the combine.  Great athlete, didn’t live up to his potential at North Carolina, but I think he’s worth the risk, a great character guy, the Cowboys coaches will mold him into an impact player.  Yes, I have us taking back to back wide receivers and no we’re not taking Patrick Turner (he’ll be just as bad as Mike Williams and Dwayne Jarrett, all three should have put on some pounds and been tight ends, in my opinion).  Also, I think we’ll keep six wide receivers and none of them will be named Stanback.  Both the guys we drafted will be better than him and honestly I don’t see Hurd hanging around much longer he’s never done anything.  These two guys we’ll be better than him too in a year.

5 (167) Joel Bell, OT, Furman, 6-7 315,
Good athlete.  He would provide depth and an immediate upgrade of McQuistan and Free neither of which I think will ever start for the Cowboys (or let’s hope not).

6 (172) Stephen McGee, QB, Texas A&M
I think  that McGee could actually run the wildcat and I also think he’s a solid developmental project.  (please let us stay away from Pat White, he won’t make it as a receiver, and he’s not ready to play quarterback.  Also whenever Ray Lewis decides to unload on him that’ll be the last time he’ll want to run the wildcat.)

6 (197) Bradley Fletcher, DB, Iowa
Moving up team boards due to his great athleticism, so he may not be here, but he would provide depth at both CB and S and he could turn into a better safety than any of the safety’s on this years draft board.  Honestly, I don’t think this is the year to draft a safety.  Hamlin and Sensabaugh will be better than anything we can draft this year.  If we drafted Sensabaugh this year, you guys would be saying great pick, he had great measurables and he’s tough and a known commodity.  He just better stay out of trouble.

6 (208) CJ Spillman, DB, Marshall
A safety out of Marshall with great measurables and tough.  He’ll take a year or two to start challenging for the starting role though.

7 (211) Terrence Knighton, DT, Temple
He’s raw but we can coach him up, look what we did with Ratliff.  He’s a good athlete.

7 (228) Panel Egboh, DE, Stanford
Same as Knighton, he’s raw but fit’s the mold and we can coach him up.

Some guys who if they don’t get drafted we should bring in as undrafted free agents and see what they can do.
Undrafted Free Agents-
Fred Roland, OT, Duke
Cameron Goldberg, OT, Duke
Victor Butler, OLB, Oregon State
Joshua Mauga, ILB, Nevada
Dudley Guice, WR, Northwestern State
Marcus McClinton, DB, Kentucky

Dallas Cowboys Roster if we make the picks in my mock draft (note I have not narrowed it down to a 55 man roster so you can see the roster moves that we’d need to make if we took these guys for instance, we’d cut the likes of Stanback (or put him on the practice squad) and Ellis.
OFFENSE-(25 total offensive players on our 55 man roster)
QB-
Tony Romo
Jon Kitna
*(Stephen McGee)

How this shakes out-
Romo starts, Kitna backs up, McGee learns from both, maybe he runs a bit of the wildcat—maybe. By the way, Romo is a great quarterback—no one I’d rather have running the ship.

RB-
Marion Barber
Felix Jones
Tashard Choice

FB-
Deon Anderson

TE-
Jason Witten
Martellius Bennett
Tony Curtis

WR-
Roy Williams
Miles Austin
Patrick Crayton
Sam Hurd
Isaiah Stanback
Travis Wilson
*(Brooks Foster)
*(Mike Wallace)

How this shakes out-
I think we’ll keep 6 recievers and that Stanback and Wilson end up on the practice squad or another team unless Austin ends up a Jet (which I think would not be good for us at all.  When he has a breakout year here we’ll be glad he’s in big D unless a poison pill puts him in a Jets uniform and then we’ll be worse off and so will he, with whoever the Jets quarterback turns out to be throwing to him, he won’t have a breakout season.  All the more reason for him to stay in big D).
 
OT-
Flozell Adams
Mark Colombo
Pat McQuistan
Doug Free
*(Joel Bell)

How this shakes out-
Bell backs up Adams and makes Free expendable so he ends up on the practice squad or another team.  I think that Adams has another good year, maybe two, and McQuistan is outta here by next year, and hopefully we never have to seem him start.  If we do, you should feel sympathy for Tony Romo.

G-
Leonard Davis
Kyle Kosier
Montrae Holland


C-
Andre Gurode
Cory Procter

DEFENSE-(27 total defensive players on our 55 man roster)
DT-
Jay Ratliff
Junior Siavii
Tim Anderson
(Terrence Knighton)*

How this shakes out-
Either Anderson or Siavii backs up Ratliff along with Knighton.  The odd man out is a practice squad body.  I think the Cowboys feel pretty alright with what they have and honestly I don’t  think they’re going to be able to get anyone who’s going to ‘wow’ us.  Dorell Scott could be good, but if we take him before round 4 it’ll be a reach. 

DE-
Marcus Spears
Igor Olshansky
Jason Hatcher
Stephen Bowen
(Jarron Gilbert)*
(Panel Egboh)*

How this shakes out-
Egboh ends up on the practice squad along with Marcus Dixon.  Gilbert moves into the rotation.  I actually think for this year he’d get the most reps inside on third down next to Jay Ratliff and that’d give us a great pass rush.  Also Spears (can you say Miami) and Bowen may not be here next year (Hatcher too? I don’t remember) so we would be wise to start grooming a replacement or two now.  (I actually hope Spears stays because he’s real solid against the run and he’s a good guy, but if Gilbert produces, Spears might be gone.)

ILB-
Bradie James
Keith Brooking
Bobbie Carpenter
Steven Octavien
(Jasper Brinkley)*

How this shakes out-
Brinkley gives us depth in case James or Brooking goes down.  I don’t think any of us want to see Carpenter in anything but a nickel package if at all.  Also, Ocatvien would be on the practice squad or given his walking papers.

OLB-
Demarcus Ware
Anthony Spencer
Greg Ellis
Matt Stewart
Justin Rogers
(Lawrence Sidbury)*

How this shakes out-
In this scenario, I think Ellis is gone along with his whining.  Sidbury has great pass rush skills and will contribute immediately as a third down pass rusher taking over Ellis’ spot in the rotation.  (Ellis is a good player and a good person, but I think holding on to him any longer will hold this defense back).

CB-
Terrence Newman
Mike Jenkins
Orlando Scandrick
Alan Ball
*(Bradley Fletcher)

How this shakes out-
Fletcher would be the 4th cornerback on our depth chart though I also think he may end up at safety.  Either way he provides depth.  Also, I believe that the reason that Henry isn’t back is because both Jenkins and Scandrick were better than him by the end of last season, he was getting slow and old and he wasn’t making his customary interceptions.  Also, if he was still around he’d be holding the development of Jenkins and Scandrick back.


S-
Ken Hamlin
Gerald Sensabaugh
Pat Watkins
Courtney Brown
Tra Battle
(CJ Spillman)*

How this shakes out-
If Sensabaugh plays well, he’ll get a long-term deal and hopefully he won’t pull a Ken Hamlin and regress. This is Watkins last year unless he drastically improves—I doubt it.  Brown is not physical enough and Battle is to small.  I think that Brown and Battle don’t make the 55 man roster.  They’ll draft a safety next year either way, and it’ll be better than what we’d get this year unless we land Delmas.  We need cover safety’s that are physical—hard to find.  It’s not that size matters, but at least one of your safety’s has to be an enforcer over the middle we’ve lacked that ever since Roy regressed.  Also as much as you may not have liked Roy’s cover skills there is no doubt our run defense was better when he was on the field.  Those two embarrassing runs by the Ravens never happen if he’s playing.  My point, one of our safety’s needs to have the mindset of wanting to take the opponents head off and that isn’t Hamlin.  In a perfect world we’d be able to draft Taylor Mays next year, somehow I don’t think we’ll play bad enough though, in fact, I predict a playoff win, no more, no less though.  (Also, please let us stay away from Hamlin, Michael that is.  He seems to be a Ken Hamlin clone and we don’t need that).

SPECIAL TEAMS (3 total players on our 55 man roster)
K-
Nick Folk

P-
Matt McBriar

L S-
L.P. Ladouceur