The Cowboys went to work Thursday night by bolstering the offensive line with the stud from Notre Dame, Zack Martin. Great pick, but now it’s time to get going on the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys will have some potentially late 1st round graded players heading into the 2nd round, but not many.
Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Boise State and Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri are still on the board. I imagine they will be targets. The Cowboys will also have the choice of taking Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State, but you have to wonder if his diluted drug test has dropped him from where he may have been.
Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon could be considered in the 2nd round as well.
Will McClay’s influence was on display today as the Cowboys stuck to their board and let the players fall to them.
To me, I’m lukewarm on the remaining defensive ends left on the board, so don’t be surprised if the Cowboys trade down this pick to add another 3rd rounder. The 3rd round looks like the round that could be loaded with value.
What if the Cowboys go offense in the 2nd round?
It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that the Cowboys could pull the trigger on a wide receiver or even a running back, the receiver class is deep, so they may have a few players rated higher than some of these other defensive lineman on the board. It’s possible they could target Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt or Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado. I’m not sure that happens though.
Jeremy Hill, RB, LSU could be a surprise pick in the 2nd. I think we’ll start to see running backs come off the board in the 2nd half of the 2nd round, and the Cowboys could get some insurance against Murray’s injuries by nabbing Hill.
Again, I’m not advocating going offense again, especially with the holes that remain on defense, but just prepared for it, especially if Lawrence and Ealy are gone. It’s a lukewarm field, so a trade down would make the most sense here.
Any dark horses in the 2nd round?
I would keep an eye on Caraun Reid, DT, Princeton. Initially, I believed Reid could be had in the 4th round, but with Donald and Easley already taken in the 1st round, Reid stock has risen substantially, and he may not be available in the 3rd. I would have no issue getting Reid somewhere in the 2nd round as a dark horse pick. Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State is in the same boat as Reid. They have probably been bumped up a round or two perhaps. Sutton is a player the Cowboys like, and have visited him twice and saw him live when Notre Dame played Arizona State in AT&T Stadium for the Shamrock Series.
Being that I see these guys as dark horses for the 2nd round, further supports my theory that the Cowboys could trade down the 2nd and pick up another 3rd to get some of these defensive lineman. Trade down, get you a receiver or running back, and then stack up in the 3rd round with double-dipping on the defensive line.
We shall see.
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