2nd Round Review / 3rd Round Preview

Dallas had another good day drafting, getting 2 players that were rated significantly higher than where they were drafted. Trevon Diggs, cornerback from Alabama, was taken with the 51st pick, and Neville Gallimore, defensive tackle from Oklahoma was taken with pick 82.

Trevon Diggs – DB – Alabama 6’1 205 lbs

Diggs was being considered at pick 17, so the Cowboys feel they are getting fantastic value in the 2nd round. Dallas needed help at corner after losing Byron Jones in free agency. While Diggs doesn’t have the elite athleticism that Jones had, he is a corner with good size, and good ball skills. Like his brother Stephon Diggs, Trevon started out as a wide receiver, so he is still learning to play the position as a defensive back. He has good hands and does a good job attacking the ball in the air. Dallas has struggled to come up with interceptions in recent years so a corner with good ball skills is a welcome addition. Diggs is the type of player that may need a few years to realize his potential, but that potential is high and this is a great value at the 51st pick.

Neville Gallimore – DT – Oklahoma 6’2 305lbs

Apparently there was a war room debate over who to take with the 51st pick, Trevon Diggs or Neville Gallimore. The Cowboys took Diggs, and Gallimore still fell to them at pick 82. This is the cowboys version but based on where they rated heading into the draft it’s believable. Gallimore was between the 40th and 60th prospect of just about any list you’ll see heading into the draft so this is a very good value at 82. Gallimore consistently created pressure at Oklahoma, while the sack numbers are not terribly high, the pressure rate was very good. He will get into the backfield and rarely went backwards in college. Good strength at the point of attack, and good initial quickness shooting the gap. The Cowboys got another really good player in round 3, they are having an outstanding draft so far just based on the value of these players and where they were drafted. Of course this is all based on projection and time will tell how it works out.

Day 3 Players to Watch

Dallas has four picks on day 3, pick 123 (4th), pick 164 (5th), pick 179 (5th compensatory), and pick 231 (7th). Dallas could be in the market for a Quarterback on day 3, there are still some really good options on the board with Jacob Eason and Jake Fromm, or later in the draft Nate Stanley, Stephen Montez or James Morgan. Safety, Edge rusher, interior offensive line, linebacker and tight end could be possible targets today. Hopefully Dallas continues having an outstanding draft. Side note, one player to watch overall, Bryce Hall, cornerback from Virginia. Had it not been for an injury last season Hall might have been drafted in the first round, he is big and very gifted and he figures to go off the board soon, if he’s healthy he would be an outstanding pick.

Quarterback

Jake From – Georgia – 6’2 220 lbs

Jacob Eason – Washington – 6’6 230 lbs

Anthony Gordon – Wash St. – 6’2 200 lbs

James Morgan – Florida Intl. – 6’4 230 lbs

Stephen Montez – Colorado – 6’4 230 lbs

Nate Stanley – Iowa – 6’4 235 lbs

Wide Receiver

James Proche – SMU – 5’11 200 lbs

Collin Johnson – Texas – 6’6 220 lbs

Antonio Gandy Golden – Liberty – 6’4 220 lbs

KJ Hill – Ohio state – 6’0 195 lbs

Tight End

Harrison Bryant – Florida Atlantic – 6’5 230 lbs

Hunter Bryant – Washington – 6’2 245 lbs

Albert Okwuegbunam – Missouri – 6’6 255 lbs

Thaddeus Moss – LSU – 6’2 250 lbs

Brycen Hopkins – Purdue – 6’4 240 lbs

Colby Parkinson – Stanford – 6’7 250 lbs

Jared Pinckney – Vanderbilt – 6’4 255 lbs

Offensive Line

Tyler Biadesz – C – Wisconsin – 6’4 315 lbs

Trey Adams – RT – Washington – 6’8 318 lbs

Netane Muti – G – Fresno St – 6’5 315 lbs

Ben Bredson – G – Michigan – 6’5 315 lbs

Defensive Line

Curtis Weaver – DE – Boise St – 6’2 265 lbs

James Lynch – DT/DE – Baylor – 6’4 290 lbs

Kenny Wilkes – DE – Mich St – 6’4 260 lbs

Nick Coe – DE – Auburn – 6’5 280 lbs

Bradley Anae – DE – Utah – 6’3 255 lbs

Linebacker

Marcus Bailey – Purdue – 6’0 235 lbs

Defensive Back

Bryce Hall – CB – Virginia – 6’1 205 lbs

Amik Robertson – CB – LA Tech – 5’8 185 lbs

Troy Pride – CB – Notre Dame – 6’0 190 lbs

Lavert Hill – CB – Michigan – 5’11 190 lbs

Geno Stone – S – Iowa – 5’10 210 lbs

Alohi Gilman – S – Notre Dame – 5’11 200 lbs

First round Review / Second Round Preview

First Round – CeeDee Lamb – WR – Oklahoma

The Cowboys went with the best player available and selected CeeDee Lamb from Oklahoma. There is little chance the Cowboys thought Lamb would be available at pick 17. Lamb is arguably a top 5 player in this draft, to get him at 17 is too good an opportunity to pass up. Receiver was an area of need but most thought Dallas would address this later in the draft. Lamb can fit in the slot or play outside, he is an elite yards after catch receiver scoring 7 touchdowns from the slot and 7 from the outside last year. Lamb is on the top plateau of players in this draft, Dallas is fortunate he fell in their lap.

The Cowboys needed help on their defense and would have taken KLavon Chaisson if Lamb had not been available, but Lamb was the higher rated player. Defensive back is deep, Xavier McKinney, Antoine Winfield, Grant Delpit and Trevon Diggs are all players the Cowboys have interest in. There are still impact players on the defensive line. Yetur Gross Matos and AJ Epenesa are still available, the Cowboys talked to both players prior to the draft. If they want a pass rusher they will most likely need to move up, Zack Baun is the best pass rusher on the board but he’ll almost certainly go early in the 2nd round. Defensive tackle is also deep and there should be a quality tackle at pick 51, the Cowboys had interest in Marlon Davidson and Justin Madibuike.

Look for Dallas to go Defensive back in the 2nd round, this is currently the deepest position, there should be a good player at pick 51. Here are some players to look for.

Defensive Line

AJ Epenesa – DE – Iowa

Yetur Gross Matos – DE – Penn St

Zack Baun – Edge – Wisconsin

Marlon Davidson – DT – Auburn

Justin Madibuike – DT – Texas A&M

Linebacker

Logan Wilson – ILB – Wyoming

Defensive Backs

Xavier McKinney – S – Alabama

Antoine Winfield Jr. – S – Minnesota

Trevon Diggs – CB – Alabama

Jaylon Johnson – CB – Utah

Christian Fulton – CB – LSU

Grant Delpit – S – LSU

Jeremy Chinn – S – Southern Illinois

Rapid Fire

K’Lavon Chaisson – DE – LSU – 6’3 250 lbs

Chaisson has been linked to the Cowboys prior to the draft, he is considered the 2nd best past rusher behind Chase Young. Chaisson is a projectable edge rusher, he was inconsistent at LSU, though at times flashing big potential. Assuming Chaisson adds weight and strength he could develop into an outstanding rusher. Early on he likely wouldn’t play on early downs, instead playing as a situational pass rusher. Demarcus Lawrence is actually a good comp for Chaisson, Lawrence was a slight DE from Boise St when the Cowboys drafted him early in the 2nd round. Lawrence has matured, drafting Chaisson is betting he will be following a similar path. The Cowboys have a similar player in Randy Gregory, Gregory’s status is still up in the air, if he is re-instated and is able to produce it would go a long way in helping the Cowboys pass rush.

Xavier McKinney – S – Alabama – 6’0 200 lbs

The Cowboys have not drafted a safety in the first round since Roy Williams was taken 8th overall in 2002. It’s not like the Cowboys to draft safety this early, but it could be the best fit in terms of talent on the board and team need when the Cowboys go on the clock. If Chaisson is gone by 17 the Cowboys could be faced with trying to trade down or taking the highest rated safety on their board. Grant Delpit and McKinney both figure to go in the back half of the first round. McKinney is best in coverage, he does show the ability to quickly read and react, and seems like a very willing tackler. McKinney seems like a solid safety, but the Cowboys have a similar solid safety in Xavier Woods. Regardless he would be an upgrade and another capable player in coverage, which is sorely needed in Dallas at the moment.

Grant Delpit – S – LSU – 6’3 215 lbs

Delpit looked like one of the best players in the country in 2018, totaling 74 tackles, 5 interceptions, 5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. Delpits 2018 seemed to make him a lock for the top half of the first round, but he regressed in 2019, struggling to make open field tackles, and took too many bad angles. Delpit is the definition of boom or bust. While Xavier McKinney was more consistent, Delpit flashed the ability to be a game changer. Any team drafting Delpit will have to resolve the tackling issues, too many broken ankle tackles will result in big plays for the opposing team.

73 years ago today Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball. Robinson started at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was a 28 year old rookie. Robinson had been playing with the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro League when Branch Rickey, General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, offered Robinson a contract. Branch Rickey spent hours taking Robinson through all the situations he might encounter if he did join the big league team, Rickey asked Jackie to wait 3 years to fight back or speak out against the injustice he would face a daily basis. Once Jackie agreed to the terms Rickey offered they signed a contract and Jackie joined the minor league team in Montreal. After spending a year in Montreal Robinson joined the Dodgers in 1947.

Robinson spent 10 years with the Dodgers, retiring just before the Dodgers left Brooklyn and moved to Los Angeles. He had a .311 lifetime batting average, was a 6 time all star, 1955 World Series champion, 1949 NL MVP and 1947 NL Rookie of the Year, led the league in steals two times and stole home plate 19 times in his career. Robinson’s stats are good enough to include him with the best players to ever play the game, what he endured to achieve that success is singular.

How many people could achieve the success Robinson achieved while enduring constant insults, death threats, hate mail and revolt from within his own team? It’s hard to imagine anyone agreeing to take on this burden knowing the wave of hatred that would no doubt come his way. Robinson took his anger out on the field, in the process he produced a hall of fame career and was instrumental in moving forward the issue of racial inequality. At this time Baseball was truly the national pastime and Jackie Robison became a national star. Jackie’s play made people realize he was not only equal but he was among the very best to play the game. This is no doubt the first time many people saw a black man as equal, and no doubt opened many eyes to what one man with unlimited determination can accomplish.

Personally I can’t imagine too many people taking on that type of responsibility, not only to survive the experience but to actually thrive in that environment seems unbelievable. Jackie doesn’t have the greatest stats of all time but he’s singular in the sport of baseball and as far as I’m concerned the greatest to ever play.

The Cowboys are in desperate need of help in the secondary, Byron Jones left in free agency, Chidobe Awuzie, Jordan Lewis and Xavier Woods are free agents after next year, and that’s assuming they are starting for you this year. Awuzie regressed last year, teams were avoiding Byron Jones and unfortunately for Chido he was the recipient of the increased workload. Lewis only starting seeing the field later in the season, and Woods was no better than average. The entire defense took a step back last year, the inability to stop the run against the Rams in the playoffs seemed to run into last year. The defense as a whole took a huge step backwards. Addressing the secondary should be a priority in this draft, but that’s assuming logic and reason are anywhere to be found.

CJ Henderson – DB – Florida – 6’1 205 lbs

Henderson is regarded as the second best cornerback in this class behind Jeff Okudah who will go in the top 10. Dallas has been rumored to be interested in Henderson prior to the draft and for good reason. The Florida corner has been highly regarded since he arrived in Gainesville. His defensive coordinator at Florida called him the best corner he had ever coached. Henderson ran a sub 4.40 at the combine, he has elite closing speed, good size, and is an extremely fluid player. He moves in and out of breaks with ease, changing direction without breaking stride. Henderson has also shown to have above average hands, showing the possibility of being an elite playmaker.

Henderson is not terribly aggressive, he can drift away from receivers allowing them space to make plays. His tackling also leaves something to be desired but for a player that needs to be able to cover able all else he is very capable in this regard. While the Cowboys have shown interest there is decent chance Henderson is off the board by 17, the Falcons have also been rumored to be interested and I don’t see the Cowboys willing to part with assets to move up.

Personally I think the best value at cornerback is in the second round. While Henderson has the ability to be a pro bowler in the future, he has also been inconsistent. Cornerback is a deep class and the Cowboys should be able to find a quality DB in round 2 while hopefully addressing the pass rush in round 1.

The sports apocalypse has happened and we have no sports for the foreseeable future, the only thing we have to look forward to is the NFL draft. Since I have nothing to do and since the draft is my favorite event of the year I thought I would do some draft previews for the upcoming draft. The Cowboys will pick 17th in the first round when the draft begins in 10 days, I will preview some of the players most likely to be picked by the Cowboys in the first round.

The Cowboys most pressing needs are on the defensive side of the ball. Defensive back, particularly cornerback has become a trouble spot for the Cowboys. Byron Jones had been the team’s most consistent corner, his departure to the Dolphins coupled with the impending free agency of Chidobe Awuzie and Xavier Woods after next season leaves the Cowboys in a vulnerable position in the secondary.

The other pressing needs are on the defensive line and wide receiver. Dallas needs to generate a more consistent pass rush, their best edge rusher last year was Robert Quinn and he left in free agency. Dallas signed Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy but those guys are veterans and don’t address the long term needs. Randall Cobb also left in free agency and unless you think Tavon Austin is headed to the hall of fame it leaves Dallas in need of a reliable slot receiver. We are still waiting on a playmaking safety, the dream of getting Earl Thomas died last year so we are back to looking at the draft for safety help.

Best Case Scenario…..

Javon Kinlaw – DT – South Carolina 6’5 325 lbs.

It’s likely Kinlaw is off the board by the time the Cowboys go on the clock, typically a top 10 talent doesn’t slide down to pick 17. But it’s not impossible and for Dallas this would be the best case scenario. He would immediately provide much needed pressure up the middle. If the cowboys can create more pressure it will go a long way to improving their secondary. Kinlaw’s ceiling as a player is sky high, he has the size, quickness and strength to be elite but he still needs to refine his game. He already has the ability to consistently make plays in the backfield, he can be extremely quick off the line, blowing up plays before they ever start. He has a solid base, long arms, and rarely goes backwards, his body type almost looks like a left tackle. Kinlaw already has the strength and athleticism to disrupt plays on a regular basis, once he refines the use of his reach advantage he is going to be difficult to stop. Between the best defensive lineman in the draft Kinlaw seems to have the best chance to be there at 17, this would be good value and address a position of need. Keep your fingers crossed and hold on to your butts, at the same time.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton