Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft Headlined by DE Kony Ealy

I’ll be doing a few 7 Round Mock drafts centralized around the Cowboys’ picks. The Cowboys currently own 8 draft picks. I have to give a shoutout to my fellow friend / blogger DCFanatic for finding this mock simulator. Its pretty nice actually, I recommend checking it out as well.

So for my 1st 7-round mock draft 1.0:

Let’s talk about my selections.

1st Round (#16): DE Kony Ealy, Missouri

Ealy is a name that has been attached to the Cowboys since the offseason begain; and for good reason, Dallas has an aging DeMarcus Ware and its time to draft the heir to the throne. Ealy has been a productive player in the SEC, and will be an impact pass rusher. Ware is currently slated to have elbow surgery sometime next week with hopes of participating in offseason workouts. Outside of Ware, the Cowboys have Selvie who was a nice find last season, but after him we have a bunch of question marks. This draft needs to address the now and future play at DE.

2nd Round (#47): DE DeMarcus Lawrence, Boise State

The Cowboys need to double-dip on several defensive positions, and with Lawrence still on the board, I made the pick. We would now have two potential starters moving forward, and we would be shielded against any injury time from Ware or Selvie this next season. If we learned anything from the Seahawks defense it was the defensive line play and constant pressure. Dallas needs to mold this draft into a pressure making draft class. If you can pressure the QB, the defensive backs will have more chances for ints. The Cowboys have to be excited about what Marinelli and Lett will do with any defensive lineman we select this year. They will get these rookies playing to their potential.

3rd Round (#78): OG Dakota Dozier, Furman

The offensive line appeared to stabilize last season, but the line could be one injury away from disaster. Depth or lack of quality depth has haunted the Cowboys on both sides of the ball. So, with Dozier still on the board, the pick is made and he’ll eventually be  ready to start in case of an emergency and he’ll start in year 2. He’s played several spots on the line and his versatility will be attractive to Dallas. On top of his versatility, Dozier has been durable and this is an area Dallas needs to focus on. No more broke players please.

4th Round (#115): DT Caraun Reid, Princeton

I was torn between going defensive tackle in the first round, but I went with DE. Drafting Reid here in the 4th was my steal pick all the way. I think this player has alot of potential, nastiness, and mauling type presence we need on the defensive line. Reid needs to come to Dallas and start making plays for us. Reid can play at DE, but he’ll probably be a beast at DT for us.

5th Round (#146): QB A.J. McCarron, Alabama

Mock drafts have McCarron going from the 2nd round to the last day of the draft. That being said, I’m not sure why. I’ve seen plenty of McCarron over the years and he can play and can make NFL throws. He’s been productive and won in the most competitive division in college. I think we’ll be keeping an eye on Romo’s progress all off season, but I think it would be a good idea to nab a rookie just in case Orton needs to start games this year, we’ll need someone underneath him.

7th Round (#206): RB Henry Josey, Missouri

The Cowboys have an interesting stable of running backs, but nothing spectacular. Yes, we have Murray, but he can’t stay healthy and he won’t play all 16 games in 2014. There will be a draft when Dallas needs to invest on a durable top tier running back, it won’t be this year, but the Cowboys can add some depth and competition for what we do have on the roster right now. Josey is a good player, I saw several of Tiger’s games and Josey made plays, he’s a play maker with the ball in his hand. With Josey still on the board, this was a no brainer.

7th Round (#208): CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma

After I made this pick I remembered he had an ACL injury from the recent Senior Bowl. If I could re-do this pick I would. If Colvin didn’t have the significant injury Colvin would have been a solid pick, and give us some depth at corner. I think the Cowboys will take a flyer on a cornerback somewhere in this draft. We know what we have in Carr and Scandrick, but Claiborne is the biggest question mark. Will he be durable and will he make plays, because after his 2013 season I question the former first rounder. Depth at corner should be a concern, so don’t be surprised if we take a corner somewhere.

7th Round (#215): S Jonathan Dowling, Western Kentucky

Dowling will be discussed heavily during the draft process for some of his questionable on and off the field moves. I’ve seen him mocked between the 3rd and undrafted range, so who knows where he’ll go. Dowling definitely has all the physical tools, with tons of speed for his size. He was highly recruited and after he transferred he was still making plays on the field at Western Kentucky. Dowling to me is probably a player a team would want to draft if they thought he could be one of those big physical type DBs like in Seattle. He very well could end up being that type of player. We’ll see where he lands, but being available in the 7th round, I took the pick here. I think Church is the only safety penciled in for safety, J.J. Wilcox could not unseat the horrific Heath at safety and we still have Matt Johnson tucked away on IR for the second straight year. Someone needs to step up at safety.