Cavanaugh's Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft Targets
By Jeff Cavanaugh | @JC1053
I wrote something up a few weeks ago with who I felt were the best players in this draft, but I decided today to go ahead and do one that is 100% Cowboys related.
For me, this is the order I would pick these guys specifically for the Dallas Cowboys, so positional value matters.
I'll go through all the guys I have as first round graded players at the moment.
1. Jared Goff - QB - California: I don't think he's the best player in this draft. I do think he's a future franchise QB (this message will self destruct if he's picked by CLE, in which case all bets are off). With the current QB's.....what's a nice word for fragility? With the tendency for the current QB to break when he falls down, and the fact that you don't plan to pick this high any time soon again, I don't let a franchise QB pass me by if I have a chance to pick one. Goes through progressions quickly, feet set and reset quickly, accurate to all three levels. Played behind a terrible offensive line, showed physical and mental toughness to fight through them trying to get him killed. Will stare down the barrel of a big hit and deliver the ball.
2. Myles Jack - LB - UCLA: This is pending how his pro day next week and his medical rechecks next month go. I'm told he didn't fail any physicals at the combine but that his checks weren't totally positive. On tape he's the most talented player in the draft. Runs like the wind, hits like a freight train, covers like a defensive back. Silly talent.
3. Jalen Ramsey - DB - Florida State: This isn't pending anything. He's a guy who has played in the box, played safety, played outside CB, played the slot. A physical player with ideal size and one of the best athletes in the NFL the day he steps on the field. His versatility combined with the versatility of Byron Jones makes for some fun game planning.
4. Laremy Tunsil - OT - Ole Miss: I go back and forth on if I could actually make this pick with all the resources already committed to the offensive line. I just can't get past how much better I feel about the player than the guys I'm going to list afterwards, so this is where he goes.
5. Ezekiel Elliott - RB - Ohio State: There's a case to be made that if you don't think you can get the defense to the place you'd like to going in to the season, revisit the 2014 blueprint. Find a do it all RB, feed him the ball, and protect the defense by sustaining drives. Zeke does it all. Runs with vision/power/speed/wiggle, catches, and blocks really well. I don't put him higher only because I think there's a lot of value at RB in this draft to be found in rounds 2-4.
6. Laquon Treadwell - WR - Ole Miss: This team already has Dez Bryant. I'll take another one of him. Same physical player, hardest guy in this class to bring down after he makes the catch. Just a physically imposing playmaker with enough speed. Wins contested balls with ease.
7. Joey Bosa - DE - Ohio State: I have Bosa this low for a couple of reasons. I think he's elevated in this draft class some because none of the DEs are really that elite pass rusher. He's technically great player that uses length and power to shed OL with ease. He's an athletic guy but he's not a consistent turn the corner guy. Gonna be a rock solid player but I feel more confident in the impact I'd get from the guys above him.
8. Shaq Lawson - DE - Clemson: This is another reason Bosa is as low as I do. I go back and forth on if Lawson is going to be the better NFL player. Bosa is more technical, Lawson is more of a violently physical player. Have seen him on tape able to get the edge and have core/lower body strength to turn the corner while engaged by blockers. Has a nice inside spin move once he's established he can win outside. Same weight(ish) as Bosa but a little shorter. Feels like a little bit more powerful guy and more authoritative finisher. Led FBS in tackles for loss.
9. Deforest Buckner - DE - Oregon: I think his natural fit is as a 3-4 DE. On a 4-3 team he would play mostly in the interior of the line. I think he could bounce around for the 3 technique and 1 technique DT spots depending on down and distance, and get in some plays at the strong side DE spot if you need. Position flex is a plus for this coaching staff.
Note: This is my cutoff point in the first round. If you want to trade down and gather picks, I don't want to go past a point where I lose one of the nine listed above.
10. Sheldon Rankins - DT - Louisville: He's a guy that I think can play either DT spot. Plays with excellent leverage to extend on OL and can shed when it's time to make the play. Has initial quickness to be effective as a pass rusher against a single blocker. Tough to move and good athlete for a man of his size.
11. Noah Spence - DE - Eastern Kentucky: He's the best 'turn the corner, bendy' sort of rusher in this draft class to me. He also keeps weighing in less and less from the season to the Senior Bowl to the NFL Combine. That leads me down a path of thinking he's wanting to show teams he can be a 3-4 OLB. At the combine I didn't think he looked as fluid as you'd like in the drills for the hybrid guys. So I'm back to wanting to put his hand on the ground. He can rush the QB, but as a point of attack player against the run he's going to have to improve. The combine hurt his stock.
12. Carson Wentz - QB - North Dakota State: This is the one that could come back to bite me because once you type something and put it on the internet it's there forever. I think. Or until the internet breaks. I like Wentz, I don't love Wentz. I know that he has a high ceiling because he's athletic, he's experienced in a pro style offense, his measurables are good. I don't think his arm is as big as some want to claim it is, I don't think he makes anticipation throws with regularity, and he's not as accurate a thrower as Jared Goff is. Can he be a franchise QB? Sure. Absolutely. Am I betting on it? I'd call it a coin flip. Again, all bets off if Cleveland drafts him. They break NFL careers every year.
13. Josh Doctson - WR - TCU: I thought the combine was big for him. I wasn't sure how fast of a runner he was. He put all athleticism questions to rest with his runs and jumps at the combine. Running the gauntlet you could see how natural his body control and hands are. At TCU he caught a whole lot of prayer throws and showed an uncanny ability to get to a ball thrown anywhere. The catch radius is huge, the athleticism is great. I think I initially nitpicked his tape a little bit too much. Will have to improve at playing through contact while in his routes.
14. Andrew Billings - DT - Baylor: He's a mountain in the middle of the defensive line. You can see outstanding power and balance to hold up even against double teams. Has more athleticism than your average 1 technique DT. There's some burst to his game, a relentless motor, nice balance.
15. Jarran Reed - DT - Alabama: Another guy that's a whole lot of human for the other team to try and move at the point of attack. I don't think he offers much as a pass rusher but in the run game he has a powerful anchor, will track the football with his eyes and discard OL when it's time to make a play. Big man will never stop going either. You see him makes plays 15 yards downfield all the way on the sideline. Always working towards the ball.
16. Vernon Hargreaves III - CB - Florida: He and Jalen Ramsey graded out as the best athletes at the combine. He can see it on his tape. He's a twitchy athlete that's not afraid to be physical. Not a realistic pick for the Cowboys because he's 5'10. They won't take a short corner in the first round.
17. William Jackson III - CB - Houston: Jackson is a taller corner with outstanding ball skills. Led FBS in passes defended and if there was any doubt about how he could run, he ran in the 4.3s as the combine. Not as twitchy or sticky in coverage as VH3, but has the size and ability to make plays at the catch point that you want.
18. Reggie Ragland - LB - Alabama: Reggie was the man in the middle for the best defense in the country last year. He's an intimidating hitter sideline to sideline from the MLB spot. Great instincts to diagnose plays, heat seeking missile to get to ball carriers. Punishing tackler. Shows some ability in zone coverage.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
