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By Jeff Cavanaugh Apr 8, 2019
I’m a one-man Dallas Cowboys war room.
That’s the role I played for this exercise, at least. I pulled up a draft simulator from www.fanspeak.com and worked through the team’s thought process while on the clock for each pick. I do have one rule, because any simulation can get a little bit wonky with guys being available who probably won’t be there realistically. If I think there is no chance a player will be available at a certain spot I’ll pass on him and go in a different direction.
In each round, I’m going to add the player I would pick if the Cowboys gave me the keys to their organization.
Before we get started, let’s examine each position group to get a feel for who’s already here.
- QB: Dak Prescott isn’t going anywhere. The Cowboys have spent mid-to-late picks on multiple backups. I’d be stunned if they selected a QB in the first four rounds and any pick after that should not be expected to make the roster. Dallas should have very little interest in taking a quarterback, although if Will Grier were available in the third I’d take him. I’m a wild man. Priority: Low
- RB: They need one. Whether it’s a low-priced free agent or a rookie, the only players on the depth chart are Ezekiel Elliott and Darius Jackson. Priority: Medium
- WR: Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb are the starters. Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns, Noah Brown, Cedrick Wilson, Lance Lenoir, Devin Smith and Reggie Davis are on the roster for the moment. This isn’t a need by any means, but I like the idea of grabbing a player who could be a year away from replacing Cobb and building up the weaponry. Priority: Low/Medium
- TE: Need? No. Want to upgrade for the long term? Definitely. The Cowboys can’t count on Jason Witten for more than one year. Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz are fine depth and Rico Gathers is around as well. If the right player is available at the right price, I’m in. Priority:Low/Medium
- OL: I don’t need anything today. Tyron Smith-Connor Williams-Travis Frederick-Zack Martin-La’el Collins should form a pretty formidable group, and with Cam Fleming and Joe Looney hanging around I feel pretty good about the depth as well. I am interested in finding a tackle, because Collins is in the last year of a pricy deal and I’m not in a hurry to have four highly-paid linemen. Priority: Low/Medium
- DL: DeMarcus Lawrence, Robert Quinn, Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods should start. Dorance Armstrong, Kerry Hyder and Taco Charlton gives me depth at the end spot and Christian Covington and Daniel Ross are the depth pieces at tackle with Tyrone Crawford able to help out at both spots. Randy Gregory is the obvious wildcard; his availability is a mystery. If possible, I’d like to upgrade the depth in the middle. Priority: Medium
- LB: Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch make the Cowboys about as good as it gets at linebacker. Smith will be a restricted free agent after this season, and at the moment Joe Thomas probably has to start on the strong side. Sean Lee provides depth. Chris Covington and Justin March-Lillard are also on the roster. Depending on what the future holds for Jaylon Smith, I could be interested in cherry-picking talent in the middle or late parts of the draft. Priority: Low/Medium
- CB: They go four deep at this spot and I feel pretty good about them all. Byron Jones is a stud. Chido Awuzie has been up and down but he’s an established starter. Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis can both play. C.J. Goodwin is currently the depth piece. Jones and Brown are in the last year of their contracts, so while Dallas doesn’t need a cornerback tomorrow, the team would like to find a cornerback in this draft. Priority: Medium
- S: I feel good about Xavier Woods at free safety. The Jeff Heath vs George Iloka vs Kavon Frazier battle for the strong safety spot bears watching, but I want to upgrade that spot if I get a chance. Priority: Medium/High
The top two players according to that board are also the top two on mine. In this scenario, the Cowboys have plenty of good options.
Names I’m considering: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Justin Layne, Dawson Knox, Juan Thornhill, Jaylon Ferguson, Jachai Polite, Chase Winovich and Dexter Lawrence.
Polite (EDGE-Florida) is the most interesting one. He has unquestionable first-round tape as an edge player, but had a terrible combine and pro day. People I trust say his pre-draft troubles have overshadowed his tape and he could be in free fall. I’m going to let him go for now. I’m going to let someone else take a chance on Knox (TE-Ole Miss) early in the draft. His lack of production isn’t for me at this point in the draft, despite his athleticism. Ferguson looked good on tape and is the all-time Division 1 sack leader, but posted horrible times in agility drills. I’m going to let him go for now. Thornhill (S-Virginia) is a solid prospect but he’s not my top-rated safety available so he moves to the back burner. I don’t think Lawrence (DT-Clemson) will be available here, so I’m going to let him go.
We’re left to choose from three players: Gardner-Johnson (S-Florida), Layne (CB-Michigan State) and Winovich (DE-Michigan). I have them all graded as second-round players. I’m going to add the guy who can impact the team right now and fit perfectly. Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (who Kevin Turner wrote about here) is a great complement to Xavier Woods. He can play in coverage and the box. He’s played nickel cornerback and he’s played deep safety. He’s a reliable player who creates turnovers, and he’s your new starting safety opposite Xavier Woods. The need matched up with the available players perfectly.
The pick: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson – S – Florida
When the time comes for Dallas to make a third-round selection, the best players available list looks like this:
Outside of these players, I see another prospect I’m a big fan of: Toledo WR Diontae Johnson. He’s a fantastic returner and creates great separation. I think he’ll outperform his draft slot. Other receivers who pique my interest are Emanuel Hall (Missouri), JJ Arcega-Whiteside (Stanford – doubtful he’ll be available here) and Andy Isabella (UMass).
We also have sixtight end prospects who become relevant in this range. Foster Moreau (LSU), Isaac Nauta (Georgia), Jace Sternberger (Texas A&M), Drew Sample (Washington), Alize Mack (Notre Dame) and Dax Raymond (Utah State). Because there are so many and none of them have a second-round grade, I’m going to see how the position shakes out.
Cornerback Amani Oruwariye (Penn State) being available is great news. I gave him a second-round grade, so he’s going to be in consideration. I like David Long (Michigan) as well; let’s add them both to the mix.
On the defensive line we’ve got Zach Allen (Boston College) who would fit well with the Cowboys since he’d be able to play defensive end as well as tackle. Anthony Nelson (Iowa) is also worth thinking about; he produced in college and ran an outstanding 3-cone time (6.95 seconds) at 6’7. Trysten Hill (UCF) should appeal to Rod Marinelli.
I don’t like the defensive end options here. I’m thinking about adding a running back and linebacker later on, which pares this list down to corners, wideouts and defensive tackles.
My highest-graded players available here are Diontae Johnson and Amani Oruwariye. Neither will provide a big upgrade right away because of available playing time but either option gives you great depth and a player who can contribute in Year 1 and become a starter in Year 2. I’ll take the corner.
The pick: Amani Oruwariye – CB – Penn State
We roll into the fourth round. The Cowboys have their own pick as well as a compensatory selection at the end of the round. When they hit the clock the first time my best players on the board are:
Diontae Johnson (WR – Toledo)
Te’Von Coney (LB – Notre Dame)
Trysten Hill (DT – UCF)
Isaac Nauta (TE – Georgia)
Drew Sample (TE – Washington)
Because I can see how these players are ranked on the simulator, I know I could wait on Diontae Johnson. But I like to play fair. I like Johnson enough to not risk him going elsewhere.
The pick: Diontae Johnson – WR – Toledo
A handful of picks later the Cowboys are back on the clock. Trysten Hill is still around, and this is another easy pick.
The pick: Trysten Hill – DT – UCF
The Cowboys’ fifth-round selection requires some optimism; it’s possible all the tight ends the simulator has available could be gone. I don’t know that for sure, but this hypothetical gave me a trio of tight ends to choose from. Drew Sample (TE – Washington), Dax Raymond (TE – Utah State) and Alize Mack (TE – Notre Dame) are all good options. Since all three are available I’m taking Sample, a developmental tight end who is already a functional blocker and athletic enough to become a good receiver.
The pick: Drew Sample – TE – Washington
The Cowboys don’t have a sixth-round pick. In the seventh round, they can have their pick among two linebackers who visited their facility. Dre Greenlaw (Arkansas) and Cole Holcomb (UNC) are both in play. I have them both graded as better than seventh rounders, but I’m going to take Greenlaw. I like his ability to fight off blocks better than Holcomb’s but I’d be very happy with either player this late.
The pick: Dre Greenlaw (LB – Arkansas)
Here’s our draft! I’ll accept all your appreciation for the forthcoming Super Bowl wins in the comments section. Sorry I didn’t add a right tackle or backup running back.
