Right off the bat let me forewarn you I am a Dallas Cowboy fan and have been since their inception. I even participated in a contest in 1959 to name the new NFL team coming to Dallas. I didn't win but have to admit I like the Cowboys moniker even more than what I suggested.
The 2018 College Draft of the National Football League was held in Arlington, Texas, the home stadium of the Cowboys. I tell you that to correct the broadcasters on TV that kept saying they were in Dallas. Arlington is one of the many communities between Dallas and Fort Worth that is known as the Mid-Cities.. But I digress,..Let's get down to the players who will wear Blue and Silver this coming season...
Dallas had the 19th overall selection in the first round and went for defensive help by selecting linebacker Leighton Vander Esch of Boise State University.. He is six foot four and weighs in at 256 pounds..
Vander Esch was the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and will by-pass his senior year to play pro football. Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli sees him as a probable starter in 2018 with Sean Lee and Jalen Smith.
In the second round of the draft, Dallas had the 50th overall pick and went for help on the offensive line, picking Connor Williams from the University of Texas.. He is six foot five and tips the scales at 296 pounds.
Williams will be insurance for one of the NFL's best offensive lines. Left tackle Tyron Smith had some physical problems in 2017 and Williams was a left tackle for the Longhorns.. He also could play right tackle and let La'el Collins move to guard, his more comfortable position. Williams was a consensus All-American and 3 year starter for Texas. Growing up in Coppell, just north of Dallas, he has always been a Cowboy fan...
Everyone knew with the release of Dez Bryant that Dallas would go shopping for a wide receiver. They did just that with their 3rd round pick. The 81st overall choice was bestowed upon Michael Gallup out of Colorado State University.
Gallup is six foot one and 200 pounds... He was also an All-American and a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award that goes to the top collegiate receiver. He is an excellent route runner and said to possess 'breakaway speed.' Pro Football Magazine had Gallup as the number one receiver in the draft, but evidently they never saw D.J. Moore of Maryland or Calvin Ridley of Alabama play.
Dallas had some compensatory picks in the draft to offset the loss of players to free agency. They had two picks in the fourth round. With the first they selected Dorrance Armstrong, a defensive lineman from the University of Kansas.
Armstrong is six foot four and 257 pounds. He is by-passing his senior season to go pro. He played all three seasons for the Jayhawks and was named to the All-Big 12 Team. In his very first game for Kansas he recorded 3 quarterback sacks in the game against the Oklahoma Sooners. His hometown is Houston, so he is happy to remain in the Lone Star State.
Just about everyone was surprised by this weekend's announcement that 15-year veteran tight end Jason Witten was retiring to become an analysis for ESPN. He will take John Gruden's spot on the Monday Night Football telecast.....So to fill that vacancy, Dallas picked tight end Dalton Schultz of Stanford University..
Schultz is six foot six and 245 pounds.. Described as a 'great blocker'. He was first team All-Pac 12 Conference and says he is ready to compete. He said his idol at tight end has always been Witten and wishes he could have learned from the master. Now he is being asked to replace him.
The Cowboys used a 5th round pick to find help to back up Dak Prescott at quarterback. They selected Mike White from Western Kentucky University... Six foot five and 225 pounds..Good size!
White began his collegiate career at South Florida but transferred to Western Kentucky in 2015. He had to sit out that entire season but was the Hilltoppers starting quarterback in 2016 and 2017. In those two years he passed for 8,540 yards and 63 touchdowns. He was All-USA Conference and was even invited to participate in the Senior Bowl.
Dallas had 3 picks in the sixth round and sent the 173rd overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams for wide receiver Tavon Austin.
Austin was a #1 pick of the Rams in 2013 but has not fit in with the Rams offensive plans. He had 509 receiving yards to go along with an astonishing 1,238 yards rushing, and 3 punts returned for touchdowns.
Another 6th round pick was used to acquire Chris Covington of the University of Indiana.. He is another linebacker and tips the scales at 245 pounds and stands six foot two.. He is called a player........
Covington played all four years for the Hoosiers... mostly at linebacker, but did fill in at quarterback 5 times. He was Honorable Mention All-Big 10 Conference and was named Most Valuable Defensive Player for the University of Indiana.. Said to love contact.
With the other 6th round selection, Dallas made a return to Boise State University to nab another wide receiver.. Cedric Wilson is six foot three and one hundred and eighty-five pounds...
Wilson possesses excellent speed and coaches say he runs 'exact routes'. He caught 50 passes for 828 yards in 2017 and six of them went for touchdowns. His numbers were a little down from 2016 but one thing stood out for coaches.. He never fumbled a single time in three years as a starter at Boise State.......
With the 7th round coming to a close, the Cowboys went to NCAA Championship Headquarters... the University of Alabama. There they selected running back Bo Scarbrough of the Crimson Tide.
Scarbrough is six foot two and 215 pounds of muscle. Other coaches at the combine described him as 'massive' with muscle tone throughout his entire body. Scarbrough had to play second fiddle to Derrick Henry in 2016 as Henry took the Heisman Trophy as the top running back in the country, but Bama Coach Nick Saban says Scarbrough is just as physical.. A true North and South runner...
That completed the college draft for Dallas, BUT they also took the occasion to make a late afternoon trade. The Cowboys sent speedy wide receiver Ryan Switzer to the Oakland Raiders for defensive tackle Jihad Ward... More help for another weak spot for Dallas.
This will be the beginning of the second stint as Head Coach for John Gruden in Oakland and he is a believer in speed. Switzer fills that gap for him, and Ward helps replenish a defensive line crippled by free agency in Dallas. He was a 2nd round pick in 2016 and has made 32 tackles in his two years in Oakland, along with one quarterback sack.. As a youngster, he can only get better....
Now it up to the Dallas front office to get all of these players signed to a contract so they can be ready for a summer camp scheduled for June. They all look good at the point of the season, but I think it was a very good draft for the Cowboys.. Just remember, I said the same thing last year at this time... Told you I was a Cowboy fan.
