Resident Cowboys fan and self-proclaimed Romosexual, Terry, provides a solid evaluation and writeup for the Cowboys' selection at #22. Whether you agree or disagree with him about certain topics, you can't question his passion and broad range of knowledge about the game, not to mention his willingness to stir things up with other fans in the name of a good time. Man, I can't wait for the Steelers to pound the 'Boys next fall. Many thanks to him for participating. That means YOUR PITTSBURGH STEELERS and steeler lifer are up next.
When you go 13-3 and have 13 players selected to the Pro Bowl, you really don't have too many holes to fill, especially starting positions. The Cowboys roster in 2008 will resemble it's 2007 roster except for a few minor areas, however, there are 3 positions that the Cowboys will focus on in this draft and they are CB, RB and WR.
CB - The Cowboys have a very good pair of starting CBs in Terence Newman and Anthony Henry. Newman is one of the elite CBs in the league making the pro bowl last season and Henry is very solid. However, both Newman and Henry have been injury prone over the last few years and are not young as they will be 30 and 31 at the start of the 2008 season. In addition, the Cowboys lost their #3 and #4 CBs via free agency. This position needs more depth and to get younger which is why it's the Cowboys #1 priority in the draft. Now many of you already know Jerry Jones is pursuing Pacman Jones and more than likely he will be traded for and signed very soon. However, the Cowboys have to go into the draft as if Pacman will not be on the team because there is no guarantee Goodell will reinstate him and there is a good chance he might pull a Chris Henry and get in trouble again which of course would lead to another suspension or even banishment from the league.
RB - If CB is priority #1, then RB is priority #1a because as of this moment, the Cowboys do not have any RB signed for the 2008 season that has any expereince playing in the NFL. Julius Jones signed as a free agent with Seattle and Marion Bartber III (hereinafter refered to as MB3) has yet to sign his one year restricted free agent contract tender. Even when MB3 does evetually sign his one year contract, there is no guarantee the Cowboys will sign him to a multi year extension. However, even if that did happen, he is the only back with experience heading into the season. To make matters worse, MB3 has never been a featured, starting back at any level. In college at Minnesota, he shared carries with Lawrence Maroney and with Dallas he has always came off the bench to spell Julius Jones. So even though he will in all likihood be the starter this season, he needs another back to carry the load and split carries. The Cowboys need a lightning back to complement MB3's thunder.
WR - Although T.O. is an athletic marvel, he is not getting any younger and Terry Glenn's knees will probably force him to retire very soon. The Cowboys not only need to get younger at the WR position, they need a speed demon opposite of T.O. for the forseeable future. Patrick Crayton is a fine #3 WR, but more of a possession receiver. The Cowboys have high hopes for their #4 draft choice last season Isiah Stanback but adding youth and speed is a must.
The Pick -
Looking at all their needs and remaining prospects available, the Cowboys are going to select Felix Jones from Arkansas. While Darren McFadden received all the acolades, Jones quietly gained a very impressive 7.6 yards per carry during his career at Arkansas, which is second highest in NCAA D-1 history. Jones reminds me of Reggie Bush in that he is a homerun hitter and can score anywhere on the field anytime he touches the ball. While his size is not imposing at 5-10, 207 lbs, he can flat out fly, consistenly posting sub 4.4 40 times while at Arkansas and if you watch him run, you'll see a guy who can run and cut while at full speed. Jones is also a terrific kick returner as well adding to his value. The guy is the perfect complelemt to MB3 and should provide the lightning to his thunder. After the top 4 CBs were off the board, this pick made the most sense.
BTSC Mock Draft Team Selections
#1 - Miami Dolphins, Darren Mcfadden
#2 - St. Louis Rams, Chris Long
#3 - Atlanta Falcons, Sedrick Ellis
#4 - Oakland Raiders, Vernon Gholston
#5 - Kansas City Chiefs, Jake Long
#6 - New York Jets, Glen Dorsey
#7 - New England Patriots, Dominique Rodger-Cromartie
#8 - Baltimore Ravens, Jerod Mayo
#9 - Cincinnati Bengals, Keith Rivers
#10 - New Orleans Saints, Aqib Talib
#11 - Buffalo Bills, Malcom Kelly
#12 - Denver Broncos, Ryan Clady
#13 - Carolina Panthers, Chris Williams
#14 - Chicago Bears, Brandon Albert
#15 - Detroit Lions, Leodis McKelvin
#16 - Arizona Cardinals, Jeff Otah
#17 - Minnesota Vikings, Derrick Harvey
#18 - Houston Texans, Rashard Mendenhall
#19 - Philadelphia Eagles, Jonathan Stewart
#20 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Limas Sweed
#21 - Washington Redskins, Mike Jenkins