Orsborn: Cowboys expected to focus on defensive players at combine

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Cowboys expected to focus on defensive players at combine

By Tom Orsborn

February 19, 2014 | Updated: February 19, 2014 11:54pm

INDIANAPOLIS — If the Dallas Cowboys are going to draft a lineman in May to bolster their historically bad defense, they better do it early, a well-known analyst said.

“I don't think the defensive line is something you can really wait on,” ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. said. “There is not a lot of depth at end or tackle.

“There is more depth in the secondary, where you could get guys down the line, particularly at corner.”

Defensive prospects at every position will receive plenty of attention from the Cowboys during the NFL Scouting Combine, but it stands to reason linemen will be the ones placed under the microscope by owner Jerry Jones, coach Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and assistant director of player personnel/draft board author Will McClay.

But while conceding the defensive line is a huge area of need, team executive vice president Stephen Jones stressed Wednesday the club won't enter the draft committed to only taking a tackle or end in the first round.

“You start targeting something for need, we all know that'll get you in trouble,” he said. “It'll be nice to come out of the draft at some point with a defensive front guy, defensive lineman or two. But, no, I don't think we can just say, 'Hey, we're going to take the first two picks, and it's got to be a defensive lineman.' You get in trouble that way.”

But with Dallas reportedly close to $25 million over the 2014 salary cap, defensive help must come through the draft. That's why this combine is an important one for the Cowboys, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2009.

The league's 32 teams will be at Lucas Oil Stadium from Thursday through Tuesday, scrutinizing 335 prospects, including a record 85 underclassmen.

Dallas demoted Monte Kiffin last month after he guided the third-worst defense in NFL history. Marinelli inherits a unit that could lose pass rushers Jason Hatcher, Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware to free agency or cuts to reduce the club's bloated payroll.

With that said, and with the Cowboys retaining Kiffin's pass-rush driven 4-3 Tampa 2 scheme, it's imperative they give serious consideration to lassoing a lineman.

Dallas will select 16th in the first round after winning a coin flip Wednesday with the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys haven't had the 16th pick since 1961, when they selected Texas Tech's E.J. Holub, who chose to play in the AFL.

Among the tackles the Cowboys will study in Indianapolis are Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald, Florida State's Timmy Jernigan, Minnesota's Ra'Shede Hageman and Notre Dame's Louis Nix. Ends that could be on the club's radar include Oregon State's Scott Crichton and Texas' Jackson Jeffcoat, son of former Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat.

Several mock drafts have linked Donald to Dallas, but his 6-foot-1, 288-pound size isn't ideal.

“Donald is relentless as a pass rusher and had 11 sacks this year, but he's short, at about 6-foot,” NFL.com's Gil Brandt wrote recently. “I'm interested to see how long his arms are and how he uses them in some of the drills.

“It's very, very hard when defensive linemen start playing against NFL guards that have long arms. If he has 30-inch arms, for example, that could be a problem for him at the pro level.”

Dallas could be in the market for a receiver should it make aging Miles Austin a cap casualty, but plenty of wideouts should be available later.

“This draft is going to provide a lot of talent in that fifth, sixth or seventh round,” Kiper said.

The NFL Network's Mike Mayock agreed.

“This is the deepest, best draft I've seen in the last 10 years,” he said. “I had one GM tell me having a top-20 pick is very similar to having a top-10 pick last year.”
 
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