BipolarFuk
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IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) - There are 32 first-round picks in Thursday’s NFL Draft. But that doesn’t mean there are 32 players with first-round grades.
The feeling inside Dallas Cowboys headquarters at Valley Ranch is that approximately 16 prospects are worthy of first-round grades (with two “on-the-bubble’’ guys right after them). Dallas picks at No. 18, with hopes that a couple of teams above them make selections that don’t jibe with the Cowboys’ rankings, thereby pushing talent down to 18. (Example: The possibility that Buffalo will take a quarterback at No. 8, even though Dallas doesn’t rank a QB in the top 18 prospects.)
If the board doesn’t fall the Cowboys’ way, they’ll be left with two options: One, trade down from 18 for equivalent value by getting a pick in the early 30’s and a late second-rounder; or two, if that fails, “reach’’ for a player at 18 who doesn’t truly merit that pick.
For now, what sources suggest to me are the 16 (plus maybe two) prospects earning first-round grades from the Cowboys (possibly clustered as below but not necessarily in this specific order):
Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M, 6-foot-6, 306; Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan, 6-7, 306; Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida, 6-3, 297; Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah, 6-3, 311; Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama, 6-0, 201
Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma, 6-6, 303; Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU, 6-5, 271; Dion Jordan, DE-OLB, Oregon, 6-6, 248; Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina, 6-2, 311; Chance Warmack, G, Alabama, 6-2, 317
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia, 5-9, 174; Barkevious Mingo, DE-OLB, LSU, 6-4, 241; Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri, 6-2, 294; Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State, 6-1, 210; Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina, 6-3, 313
Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame, 6-5, 250; Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee, 6-2, 216; Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas, 6-0, 214
Conspicuous in their absence from this list of first-round-graded prospects inside Valley Ranch are Bjoern Werner (DE, Florida State, 6-3, 266), D.J. Fluker (OT, Alabama, 6-5, 339), Margus Hunt (DE, SMU, 6-8, 277), Tank Carradine (DL, Florida State, 6-4, 276) and Eric Reid (S, LSU, 6-1, 213), all of whom have some appeal to Dallas but not presently considered ideal value at No. 18.
The feeling inside Dallas Cowboys headquarters at Valley Ranch is that approximately 16 prospects are worthy of first-round grades (with two “on-the-bubble’’ guys right after them). Dallas picks at No. 18, with hopes that a couple of teams above them make selections that don’t jibe with the Cowboys’ rankings, thereby pushing talent down to 18. (Example: The possibility that Buffalo will take a quarterback at No. 8, even though Dallas doesn’t rank a QB in the top 18 prospects.)
If the board doesn’t fall the Cowboys’ way, they’ll be left with two options: One, trade down from 18 for equivalent value by getting a pick in the early 30’s and a late second-rounder; or two, if that fails, “reach’’ for a player at 18 who doesn’t truly merit that pick.
For now, what sources suggest to me are the 16 (plus maybe two) prospects earning first-round grades from the Cowboys (possibly clustered as below but not necessarily in this specific order):
Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M, 6-foot-6, 306; Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan, 6-7, 306; Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida, 6-3, 297; Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah, 6-3, 311; Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama, 6-0, 201
Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma, 6-6, 303; Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU, 6-5, 271; Dion Jordan, DE-OLB, Oregon, 6-6, 248; Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina, 6-2, 311; Chance Warmack, G, Alabama, 6-2, 317
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia, 5-9, 174; Barkevious Mingo, DE-OLB, LSU, 6-4, 241; Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri, 6-2, 294; Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State, 6-1, 210; Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina, 6-3, 313
Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame, 6-5, 250; Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee, 6-2, 216; Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas, 6-0, 214
Conspicuous in their absence from this list of first-round-graded prospects inside Valley Ranch are Bjoern Werner (DE, Florida State, 6-3, 266), D.J. Fluker (OT, Alabama, 6-5, 339), Margus Hunt (DE, SMU, 6-8, 277), Tank Carradine (DL, Florida State, 6-4, 276) and Eric Reid (S, LSU, 6-1, 213), all of whom have some appeal to Dallas but not presently considered ideal value at No. 18.
