With the NFL draft inching closer, it felt like time to mosey on over to Fanspeak's On the Clock simulator and crank out a mock draft (or seven) for the team on my beat, the Cowboys. Doing mock drafts may be an exercise in futility when it comes to actually predicting who will go in any particular draft slot, but it's a great way to force yourself to become familiar with the draft class beyond the obvious big names.
After watching far too much combine coverage last week, there were a number of players who jumped out at me as possible Dallas targets. The Cowboys are one of the teams who lean heavily on SPARQ scores to differentiate prospects, an approach pioneered by the Seahawks, so I expect a number of players who "leaped out of the gym" over the weekend to be on the team's radar.
Version 1.0 of this year's mock can be found here.
Round 1 (pick 15): Andrew Billings, DT, Baylor. I almost never trade down in mocks, but this year the Cowboys are in almost a perfect position to do so should the opportunity present itself. In this case, the decision hinges on how clubs are viewing the two QBs at the top of the board, Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. After Goff went second to the Browns in this particular mock draft, I elected to see what would happen if Dallas decided Wentz wasn't their guy and peddled the pick to someone who might be looking for a new franchise QB. I landed on the Rams, who could be under some pressure to make a draft-day splash as part of their move to LA, and swapped the fourth overall pick for the Rams' first (15th overall), second (43rd, acquired from the Eagles in the Nick Foles deal last year) and third (76th) round picks.
With that 15th overall pick, I did something perhaps even more unlikely for the Cowboys than a trade down, and that's draft a first-round DT. Rod Marinelli's defense doesn't put a huge priority on the one-technique DT spot, viewing the starter as a two-down player who gets subbed out in passing situations, but Billings is such a ridiculous physical freak that he might just sway them. He was a high school power-lifting champ who looked amazingly light on his feet during combine drills for a 300-plus pound lineman. He'll also only be 21 heading into his rookie season, and Dallas had great success with Tyron Smith in drafting a younger player with massive physical upside. Billings could join DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford and (eventually, hopefully) Randy Gregory in a dominant young front four.
Round 2 (pick 34): Josh Doctson, WR, TCU. Another player who showed up big-time at the combine, Doctson had the highest SPARQ score among all 2016 wide receivers. He's got the length the Cowboys like, was hugely productive in college, and while he isn't a burner he's got plenty of speed to be effective opposite Dez Bryant. This pick would also signal that the team has no real interest in Terrance Williams after his rookie contract expires, and you can't really blame them for looking for an upgrade after his poor 2015.
Round 2 (pick 43): Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama. The second pick from the Rams' haul, Henry's combine performance was shockingly good for a back his size. The usual comps are to players like LeGarrette Blount and Brandon Jacobs due to his 6-3, 247 pound frame, and there are definite concerns about his college workload. That said, Henry torched Jacobs' time in the 3-cone drill at the combine, indicating that he can be more than a straight-line runner in the NFL, and the explosiveness suggested by his top-of-class performance in the broad jump makes him the goal-line weapon the Cowboys have been lacking for a long time.
Round 3 (pick 67): Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State. Nassib was only a one-year starter in college after being a walk-on, but what a season it was, as he set a school record with 15.5 sacks as a redshirt senior. He looked good, not great, at the combine, but given his size, athleticism and upside as a pass rusher, the third round seemed the right time to grab him knowing that he'll be a bit of a project. This isn't a pick to replace the suspended Gregory in Week 1 this year, but if Gregory doesn't clean up his act to the NFL's satisfaction, Nassib could be his replacement down the road, or a situational threat off the edge if Gregory matures enough to pull a Von Miller.
Round 3 (pick 76): Sean Davis, S, Maryland. Another player who improved his stock at the combine, Davis is a corner/safety hybrid like last year's first round pick Byron Jones, but his style screams strong safety, and his coverage skills and play in space, while needing some work, would still be an immediate upgrade over current starter and passing game pylon Barry Church. Davis would provide the physical complement to Jones' silky athleticism, and in a year or two the duo could become one of the better safety tandems in the NFL. Davis also has the brains to someday be a defensive captain, making him a solid grab towards the end of Day Two over more highly-rated safety options like WVU's Karl Joseph.
Round 4 (pick 102): Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford. No one made a bigger impression on me at the combine than Cajuste. I expected players like Jalen Ramsey to look like gold. What I didn't expect was a 6-4, 234 pound no-name wide receiver to post the fifth-best time in the 3-cone drill of any WR in a decade, while still running a solid 4.60 in the 40-yard dash and showing great hands in the gauntlet drill. His 6.49 seconds in the 3-cone is just mind-blowing for a guy his size. Basically, Cajuste has the potential to be Julian Edelman with an extra five inches and 40 pounds, which would make him a mismatch nightmare out of the slot as he'd be way too shifty for safeties or linebackers but too big for a typical nickel corner to handle. In real life, I fully expect him to get drafted by the Patriots, as he seems tailor-made for their passing game, but here I'll snatch him up for the Cowboys so they can try to turn him into a supercharged version of Dwayne Harris, a special teams warrior who can make a real contribution on offense as well.
Round 4 (pick 137): Deiondre' Hall, CB, Northern Iowa. His 4.68 time in the 40-yard dash at the combine didn't help his draft stock, but Hall still has absurd length for a cornerback (he's 6-2, and his 34-plus inch arms would make some offensive tackles jealous) and enough athleticism to profile as a nickel corner once he's coached up, or possibly a safety if he bulks up.
Round 6 (pick 192): Eric Murray, CB, Minnesota. Murray is undersized for a prototypical modern NFL corner, but he helped allay those concerns with a strong vertical at the combine. In fact, given that leaping ability, his solid 4.49 40-yard dash and physical play on tape I don't think there's any chance he falls to the sixth round, but stranger things have happened. He profiles best as a zone corner, as his lateral agility could cost him in man coverage, but he could also be effective as a press corner.
Round 6 (pick 212): Brandon Allen, QB, Arkansas. Having passed on the opportunity to grab a possible franchise QB in Wentz with the fourth overall pick, the Cowboys will be looking for a developmental prospect later in the draft. Allen's efforts to improve his hand size measurements got a lot of attention heading into the combine, but he didn't look out of place during drills either. He's not big, and doesn't have a huge arm, but might be good enough to carve out a career for himself at the next level.
Round 6 (pick 216): Connor McGovern, OL, Missouri. Another player who probably won't slide this far in the actual draft, McGovern is a strong kid who's iffy footwork and arm length probably peg him as a guard in the NFL, but he could survive as a right tackle once he's been coached up. He's raw, but his versatility makes him a solid add to a Cowboys offensive line that has all-world starters but might need depth after some possible free agent departures this offseason.
Round 6 (pick 217): Luke Rhodes, LB, William & Mary. Cowboys scouting guru Will McClay said this offseason that the team would probably look for fewer small-school reaches going forward, but in the sixth round you take what you can get. Rhodes is your classic max-effort locker room leader who might have juuuuust enough athleticism to survive in the NFL as a special teams ace and depth Mike/Sam linebacker.