2014 Dallas Cowboys Draft Picks

     After recording seasons of eight wins and eight losses over the past three seasons, it was time for the Dallas Cowboys to get serious at making some changes to the team. Dallas had the 16th pick in the first round of the college draft and for the third year in a row they went for help to the offensive line, picking Zack Martin of Notre Dame University..

      Martin is 6'4" and 310 pounds,..and can play any position on the offensive line. Named to the 2012 All-America team, he was also named offensive lineman of the year four times at South Bend. Durability is also a strong suit with Martin as he never missed a game in four years at Notre Dame.
    Dallas made national news with the departure of All-Pro DeMarcus Ware earlier this year, but in the second round of the draft the Cowboys picked another DeMarcus..   DeMarcus Lawrence of Boise State.

      Lawrence is 6'3 and 251 pounds with good speed and quickness. He bypassed his senior year and came out a year early to turn professional. He was named Most Valuable Player in 2013 for Boise State and was quick to say his family back home in Virginia has always been fans of the Dallas Cowboys. Coaches say he has a good chance to start at Ware's old spot at defensive end.
    Dallas did not have a pick in the third round of the college draft, but in the fourth round again went for help to the defense with linebacker Anthony Hitchens out of Iowa.

     Hitchens is 6'1 and 240 pounds... He also was the MVP for the Hawkeyes in 2013. He led the team in tackles, recording 112. He dropped ball carriers for a loss 13 times and forced two fumbles. He could compete with Bruce Carter on the weakside for the Cowboys.
      In the 5th round of the draft, Dallas looked to add to the stable of wide receivers when they selected Devin Street from the University of Pittsburgh..

      Street is 6'3 and 198 pounds... Coaches say he has good size and long arms. He recorded over 50 catches per season for the last three years as a Panther. He is the school's all-time leading receiver with 202 catches in his college career. He will have plenty of competition for a job as Dallas currently has a plethora of wide outs. Free Agent LaRon Byrd just signed with Dallas, and he joins Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Dwayne Harris, Jamar Newsome, Lance Lewis, and Tim Benford.
     The Cowboys did not have a pick in the 6th round of the draft, but did have 5 selections in the 7th round and went for defensive players with all 5 picks. Dallas had the worst defense in the NFL in 2013 and they were serious about improving it.
     With the 231st overall selection the Cowboys went for defensive end Ben Gardner of Stanford University.

      Gardner is 6'4 and 277 pounds... He was the team captain for the Cardinal and was named to the All Pac12 Conference team. His senior season Gardner recorded 19 tackles..7 of them for losses and he sacked opposing quarterbacks 5 times. At the combine he impressed coaches with a vertical leap of 39.5 inches. Cowboy Head Coach Jason Garrett said Gardner will be one of those players hard to keep off the field.
       With the 238th overall pick, Dallas took Texas Tech linebacker Will Smith...

      Not to be confused with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air,.. This Will Smith is 6'2 and 231 pounds of hard hitting high-plains football. He played all 13 games his senior year in Lubbock and recorded 120 tackles. He had 18 tackles in the game against Texas alone. A native of the state of Michigan, Smith said his family has always been fans of the Dallas Cowboys and everyone is excited over his future.
     Next, Dallas tried to shore up a defensive secondary that was picked apart by opposing quarterbacks in 2013. With the 248th overall selection, Dallas picked Baylor University's All-American safety Ahmad Dixon.

       The Waco, Texas native is 6 foot and 212 pounds. He was a four year starter for the Bears and ran a 4.39 forty yard dash at the scouting combine. Dixon was First Team All-Big 12 with what coaches call great 'first step speed.' He played all 13 games his senior year recording 81 tackles, broke up 6 passes, and had one interception. Cowboy coach Jason Garrett described him as an extremely 'hard hitter.' Dixon was very emotional at being picked by the Cowboys, his favorite team since he was a small boy.
      With the 251st overall pick Dallas turned to Northern Illinois University for defensive line help... in the form of Ken Bishop.

       Bishop is 6'1 and 308 pounds of defensive tackle. He played nose-guard for the Huskies and recorded 165 tackles his last two years of college football. Bishop is a First Team All-MAC performer and Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli says Bishop reminds him of a young Warren Sapp. 
     With the 254th overall and last selection for the Cowboys, they went to the pacific northwest and tabbed University of Oregon cornerback Terrance Mitchell.

      Mitchell is 5'11 and 192 pounds...He started every game for the last three years for the Ducks... intercepting 7 passes and knocking down 32 other attempts. His college coaches call him a dream come true. When notified he had been selected by the Dallas Cowboys, Mitchell said, "It's a dream come true for me."
       On paper it looks like an extremely good draft for Dallas, but the proof is in the pudding. All of the selections will be in Dallas for the first time in June and that is when the real evaluations will begin.