Dallas Cowboys: Team Draft Needs

Team Draft Picks (6)

Round 1 (18)
Round 2 (47)
Round 3 (80)
Round 4 (114)
Round 5 (151)
Round 6 (185)

1. Safety

Anyone feel great about the back line of your defense being Will Allen and Barry Church? The team remains high on Matt Johnson, but he's yet to see a snap in the League. Conventional wisdom and many mock drafts have Dallas looking at Texas' Kenny Vaccaro in the first round.

Potential targets

First round

Kenny Vaccaro, Texas
Matt Elam, Florida
Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International
Eric Reid, LSU

Second round

J.J. Wilcox, Georgia Southern
Bacarri Rambo, Georgia

Third round

Shamarko Thomas, Syracuse
D.J. Swearinger, South Carolina
Josh Evans, Florida
Phillip Thomas, Fresno State
Shawn Williams, Georgia
T.J. McDonald, USC

Fourth round

Duke Williams, Nevada
Earl Wolff, North Carolina State

Fifth through seventh rounds

Don Jones, Arkansas State
Rontez Miles, California (PA)
Tony Jefferson, Oklahoma
Cody Davis, Texas Tech
Cooper Taylor, Richmond

2. Defensive line

The Cowboys will transition into a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, and the scheme change has left them short on depth, not to mention size. The average defensive end combo weighs 273.6 pounds, and the Cowboys projected pair of converted OLBs DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer check in at an average 252 pounds, the lightest in the league. Tackle Jay Ratlif still faces DWI charges, and Jason Hatcher is on the wrong side of 30, despite steady production. Other than Sean Lissemore and Tyrone Crawford, the Cowboys have no promising talent providing depth behind the underweight starters.

Potential targets:

First round

Sheldon Richardson, Missouri
Sylvester Williams, North Carolina
Datone Jones, UCLA
Kawann Short, Purdue

Second round

Jesse Williams, Alabama
Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State
Johnathan Jenkins, Georgia
Corey Lemonier, Auburn

Third round

Brandon Williams, Missouri Southern State
Bennie Logan, LSU
Akeem Spence, Illinois
Alex Okafor, Texas
Malliciah Goodman, Clemson

Fourth round

Lavar Edwards, LSU
William Gholston, Michigan State
Sam Montgomery, LSU

Fifth through seventh rounds

Jordan Hill, Penn State
Montori Hughes, Tennessee-Martin
Josh Boyd, Mississippi State
Devin Taylor, South Carolina

3. Running back

Make no mistake, the Cowboys need offensive linemen (plural!) to block for said running back. And with just six picks, the 'Boys better look for help in the trenches earlier than later. But Jerry Jones has consistently shown disregard for his offensive line, and there's also a need in the backfield. DeMarco Murray has an injury history dating back to Oklahoma, Felix Jones remains unsigned, and Phillip Tanner and Lance Dunbar aren't even serviceable fill-in options. Running backs can be found late, and despite a lack of picks, Dallas would be wise to bring in a capable back in the back end of their draft.

Potential targets:

Second round

Eddie Lacy, Alabama
Johnathan Franklin, UCLA
Giovani Bernard, North Carolina
Christine Michael, Texas A&M

Third round

Andre Ellington, Clemson
Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State
Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina

Fourth round

Joe Randle, Oklahoma State
Mike Gillislee, Florida
Knile Davis, Arkansas
Zac Stacy, Vanderbilt

Fifth through seventh rounds

George Winn, Cincinnati
Kerwynn Williams, Utah State
Stepfan Taylor, Stanford
Cierre Wood, Notre Dame
Ray Graham, Pittsburgh
Kenjon Barner, Oregon
Dennis Johnson, Arkansas
Miguel Maysonet, Stony Brook
Spencer Ware, LSU
Michael Ford, LSU
Onterio McCalebb, Auburn

Other Needs: All OL positions besides left tackle, developmental quarterback, wide receiver, tight end depth