Eatman: Draft Breakdown - CB Not Big Need For Cowboys This Year

Cotton

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Draft Breakdown: CB Not Big Need For Cowboys This Year

Posted 15 minutes ago


Nick Eatman DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
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(Editor's Note: As the NFL Draft approaches on April 25-27, DallasCowboys.com's Draft Series will analyze every position, the Cowboys' needs at each, which players might be targeted for their six picks and some interesting draft nuggets. Part 10 features the cornerback position.)


Position Outlook:

The Cowboys made quite a change last year at the cornerback position and surprised many by trading up eight spots from 14 to 6 for Morris Claiborne. At the time, it wasn’t on anyone’s radar and even the

Cowboys weren’t thinking about that scenario until it happened on draft day. That’s when they got aggressive and parted ways with their second round pick to get Claiborne, a player they had rated No. 2 overall behind Andrew Luck. With Claiborne in the mix, the Cowboys paired him withBrandon Carr, a big-time free agent signing the previous month, so the cornerback position received a big facelift in a short time. Carr and Claiborne had a good season in 2012, but the Cowboys are expecting bigger things this year. Carr made some timely plays and proved to be worth his contract. Claiborne had the typical rookie struggles but overall, made big strides as the season wore on.Orlando Scandrick missed the end of the season with a wrist injury but should be back as the No. 3 corner once again. Mike Jenkins is gone, signing with the Raiders in free agency. Sterling Moore, a midseason acquisition from the Patriots’ practice squad, played well despite barely knowing the defense or schemes. With a full offseason, the Cowboys think he can be a nice fit in the defense and special teams.

Available Vets:

While there are many positions that have big-name players still available, the cornerback spot isn’t really one of them. Several free-agent corners found homes once the signing period began, leaving it a thin market for teams wanting help.

The Cowboys can’t be one of those teams, especially considering Scandrick is making more than $5 million per season as the third corner. With Carr and Claiborne in the fold, and Moore figuring to play a part, Dallas has no need for an aging cornerback such as Sheldon Brown or Quentin Jammer, unless of course injuries start occurring in training camp, something we saw last season.

Look Back:

In 2003, Bill Parcells figured to make a big splash in his first draft with the Cowboys, who owned the No. 5 overall pick. While many fans were hoping the Cowboys would take quarterback Byron Leftwich, Parcells had his sights on another player: Dewayne Robertson from Kentucky. The massive defensive tackle was supposedly Parcells’ first target, but he went off the board to the Jets with the No. 4 pick. The Cowboys stayed put at 5 and instead took Terence Newman, the versatile cornerback from Kansas State. Newman started all nine years with the Cowboys and earned two Pro Bowl selections. Robertson played six years but never lived up to the hype.



Draft Prospects:

It’s not a relatively deep class of cornerbacks, but there are some first-round picks that will immediately help some teams, including Alabama’s Dee Millner, a projected Top 5 selection. Florida State’s Xavier Rhodes is also a potential Top 10 pick. Bryan Broaddus has more on a few cornerback prospects that will likely make it past the first round.
 

Cotton

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Smitty

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It wasn't a big need last year with Carr, Jenkins and Scandrick around.
 

GForce78NJ

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I wouldn't mind taking one with a mid to late round draft pick, but we seem to never find any talent in the secondary by the draft so on second thought, maybe not.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I wouldn't mind taking one with a mid to late round draft pick, but we seem to never find any talent in the secondary by the draft so on second thought, maybe not.
The corners we draft in the middle to late rounds always seem to suck donkey dick anyway. Not sure it is worth wasting the pick. We probably do just as good with undrafted guys. Of course Dallas sucks in general with the mid round picks so maybe corner isn't actually the problem.
 

Plan9Misfit

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Whoa, not used to articles saying CB isn't a need.
Do you think Rafael Vela is crying himself to sleep that we don't need a CB, or will he just transfer the whore love to Safety?
 

boozeman

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Do you think Rafael Vela is crying himself to sleep that we don't need a CB, or will he just transfer the whore love to Safety?
Funny you should ask that...


Source: Cowboys "Three or Four Spots Too Low" for the Top Guards

Posted by Rafael at Tuesday, April 23, 2013




A source tonight said he believes there is no chance the Cowboys can get their hands on either of the big offensive guards, Jonathan Cooper or Chance Warmack. "They're about three or four spots too low for either one of those guys . If they want either of those guys, they're going to have to move up."

University of Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro was mentioned as a more realistic option.

Other rumors.

-- The one team looking to make a big leap into the mid 1st round is the San Francisco 49ers. While speculation has centered on a receiver, the source said he thinks the Niners are targeting a 5-technique defensive end, which makes sense given Justin Smith's age. If either Star Lotulelei or Shariff Floyd dropped a bit, the 'Niners would start working the phones.

-- Another source claims the only teams he's heard seriously looking at Geno Smith are the Chiefs and Jaguars, but he does not believe either would take him in the top 5. A more likely scenario is one of them dealing into the later 1st round if he slid that far, which looks possible today.

-- I was told that four cornerbacks are now expected to go in the top 20 picks, -- Dee Milliner, Xavier Rhodes, Desmond Trufant and the red-hot D.J. Hayden.


-- The Eagles are "desperately" looking to bail out of the 4th spot. They are apparently willing to drop into the mid-1st if need be. Their task is finding a partner. San Diego is mentioned as a possible player.

-- If the Eagles can slide down a few spots Tavon Austin and Barkevious Mingo are mentioned as their targets.

-- Tennessee wide receiver Justin Hunter is apparently the top-rated receiver on "around 3/4 of the draft boards, because he's clean off the field, and he projects as a number 1 receiver." Hunter is now viewed as a solid 1st round and could go in the top 20 if a team like the Rams likes him.

-- Lane Johnson remains a hot name but does not carry the same pull as Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher. The source said he thinks teams would move into the top-5 for Joeckel or Fisher but not for Johnson. That said, teams would be willing to move into the late half of the top 10 for him. With the OT hungry Cardinals sitting in the 7 spot, this point may be moot.

-- Syracuse's Ryan Nassib is being mentioned as this year's Ryan Tannehill in that Nassib could wind up playing for his college coach Doug Marrone in Buffalo as Tannehill is with Mike Sherman in Miami. He looks the most likely quarterback to be picked in the top 10, not Geno Smith.

-- The source was not as bullish on Tank Carrdine's workout as some twitters have been. I was told that Carradine's times were close to 4.9 rather than the 4.7s which have been reported. Carradine is still liked, but the source claims he's not as close to playing as some people think and that could drop him into the bottom third of the 1st round. "It was an encouraging workout, but he's not back yet," was the review I was given on Carradine.

-- Alabama's D.J. Fluker is getting some looks from teams at guard as well as at right tackle. That could see him rising, or landing with a team like the Giants if he stays around pick 20.

-- On the other hand, if the top offensive tackles go in the top five, one source said he would not be shocked to see the top guards go in the top 10 and Fluker pulled as high as the Chargers pick at 11, because so many teams in that range want offensive line help.

-- The name this source keeps hearing as the 5th OT after Fluker is Florida State's Menelik Watson, who could go as high as the Giants/Bears range, around picks 19 or 20, if the O-lineman rush starts very early.

-- In the next tier, the names Justin Pugh and Terron Armstead as not carrying a lot of buzz right now, but Oregon's Kyle Long does. He's seen as the next in line after Watson and could hear his name in the late 1st round.

-- Two more players rising into the late 1st/early 2nd range are SMU's Margus Hunt and Florida State's E.J. Manuel.

-- Conversely, guys like Keenan Allen, Jonathan Hankins and now falling into the early 2nd round range.
 

Smitty

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If four CBs go in the first 20, then I'd like to know how the hell three OTs, two guards, and three NTs are gonna go as well. That's twelve picks in just four positions. What, there are gonna be no QBs that go in the top 20? No WRs? I'll believe it when I see it.
 

ravidubey

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If four CBs go in the first 20, then I'd like to know how the hell three OTs, two guards, and three NTs are gonna go as well. That's twelve picks in just four positions. What, there are gonna be no QBs that go in the top 20? No WRs? I'll believe it when I see it.
Teams will reach for needs and you can believe Austin, Eifert, Vaccaro, Jordan, Mingo, and maybe Jarvis Jones and Geno Smith are gone. That's seven outside the positions you mentioned which puts it at 19. Seems to fit, actually.
 

Smitty

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Teams will reach for needs and you can believe Austin, Eifert, Vaccaro, Jordan, Mingo, and maybe Jarvis Jones and Geno Smith are gone. That's seven outside the positions you mentioned which puts it at 19. Seems to fit, actually.
I have yet to see a single mock with more than 2 CBs going in the top 20. If four go in the top 20 -- and I would like to say I'm "sure" that one won't be going at 18 -- then that is gonna push somebody down to us.
 

ravidubey

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I have yet to see a single mock with more than 2 CBs going in the top 20. If four go in the top 20 -- and I would like to say I'm "sure" that one won't be going at 18 -- then that is gonna push somebody down to us.
I agree four is a stretch. Three is even aggressive, but teams do get desperate and tend to lose perspective when it comes to the passing game.
 
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