It will come as no surprise that the biggest need for the Dallas Cowboys this season will be on the defensive side of the ball.. They lost both starting cornerbacks and two safeties to free agency. Two defensive linemen were also lost from the 2016 team that finished with a 13-3 record..
Thanks to that record Dallas had the 28th pick in the first round and it was essential they find a quality player. 2015 second round defensive end Randy Gregory was just found guilty of yet another drug test and has probably seen the end to his NFL career.
With their first pick in the 2017 draft Dallas selected defensive end Taco Charlton of the University of Michigan.
Charlton can play either side of the defensive end, and possibly sometimes in the middle. He is six foot six, and 277 pounds and still impressed coaches at the combine with a 32 inch vertical jump. This was universally proclaimed as a great pick by scouts, who look for Taco to get plenty of playing time in 2017.
In the second round Dallas found some help for that depleted secondary when they picked Chidobe Awuzie of the University of Colorado. He is six foot two and 202 pounds.
Awuzie (#7 in White) can play either left or right corner and also has some experience at safety. His versatility is a real strength and most say he is a sure fire hit.
Round Three rolled around and with the 92nd overall selection Dallas returned to Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan to choose cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
Lewis, in the Maize & Blue, is five foot eleven and one hundred and eighty-six pounds. He is accused of a physical confrontation with a woman and has a trial in July. Lewis and the Cowboys are confident of him being cleared of any charges. He too can play either corner and is described as a hard hitter.
Saturday, the final day of the college draft, was a good day for the Cowboys as they picked up six players despite not having a selection in the fifth round.
In the fourth round the Cowboys surprised some when they went for a running back..
Actually, Ryan Switzer is not only a running back but also a kick returner. He is five foot eight and tips the scale at one hundred and eighty-one pounds. The North Carolina Tar Heel was their top receiver in 2016 and returned four kicks for touchdowns. He is expected to be a contributor to the special teams in 2017.
No pick for the Cowboys in the fifth round, but they had two in the sixth round. With their first one Dallas chose Xavier Woods, a 5 foot seven, one hundred and ninety-seven pound safety.
Actually, Dallas moved up in the draft to pick Woods. He comes from Louisiana Tech, a small school, but remember Terry Bradshaw came from Louisiana Tech and he has a fist-full of Super Bowl rings.
Also in the sixth round and the 216th overall pick, Dallas went for more assistance in the secondary when they picked Marquez White out of Florida State.
White is six foot and weighs one hundred and ninety-five pounds. He also played basketball for the Seminoles, as well as being the captain of the football team in 2016. He has good speed and exceptionally long arms, which should help at cornerback.
Dallas had three picks in the seventh round, and with the first one they tried to find help on the defensive line as they selected Joey Ivie of the University of Florida.
Ivie is six foot three and three hundred pounds... an obvious pick for the 3-technique (nose guard). He was a mainstay for the Gators this past season, but he played in only 16 of the past 36 games for Florida. His endurance may be in question.
With the 239th selection, and the second pick in the seventh round, Dallas returned to the Big Ten Conference when they selected Noah Brown of The Ohio State University.
Brown is a wide receiver and should bolster the Dallas receiving corp. He is six foot one and two hundred twenty-two pounds. Despite being a big receiver, he still ran a 4:59 in the forty yard dash at the combine. In 2016 he had 32 receptions for the Buckeyes for 402 yards and 7 touchdowns. Probably will contribute on special teams in 2017.
With their final pick of the 2017 College Draft, Dallas returned to the University of Colorado for more help on the defensive line.
Jordan Carrell (in the gray) is six foot two and 290 pounds. He led the Buffaloes with five sacks of the opposition in 2016. At the Pro Football Combine he ran a 4:98 in the forty yard dash. If you're keeping count, that is two from the University of Colorado and two from the University of Michigan. Two more from the state of Florida...one from Florida State and one from Univ of Florida.
That wraps up the draft, but before I close let me remind you that last year in the second round Dallas took a chance and chose Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.
Smith did not play a single play in 2016 and the nerve damage in his knee has progressed better than most expected. He would have been the top player taken in last years draft had he not suffered the knee injury in the team's bowl game. Team doctors say he should be near 100 per cent by the beginning of the 2017 season.
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