IRVING, Texas – The NFL draft is finally starting to round into view at two weeks away, and with it comes another opportunity to predict the Cowboys' picks.
The draft begins on Thursday, May 8, after nearly five months of speculation. The members of the DC.com staff have analyzed enough of the prospects to make their projections and briefly explain their choices.
The names surrounding the Cowboys' No. 16 pick should all be familiar by now, but there's no clear-cut consensus on what Dallas should do with its first pick – located right in the middle of the first round. That difference of opinion is perfectly illustrated in this week's mocks, as all five writers selected a different first round choice.
Here is the second batch of full mock drafts from Bryan Broaddus, Nick Eatman, Rowan Kavner, Ed Cahill and David Helman. Click here to see their first mocks of 2014.
| Bryan | David | Ed | Nick | Rowan | |
| Round 1 16 | Aaron Donald DT - Pittsburgh | Timmy Jernigan DT - Florida State | Timmy Jernigan DT - Florida State | Anthony Barr DE - UCLA | Kony Ealy DE - Missouri |
| Round 2 47 | Ra'Shede Hageman DT - Minnesota | Scott Crichton DE - Oregon State | Kony Ealy DT - Missouri | Deone Bucannon S - Washington State | Dominique Easley DT - Florida |
| Round 3 78 | Cody Latimer WR - Indiana | Terrence * *Brooks S - Towson | Billy Turner G - North Dakota State | NO PICK Trade(Barr) | Telvin Smith OLB - Florida State |
| Round 4 119 | Aaron MurrayQB - Georgia | Terrance West RB - Towson | Bishop Sankey RB - Washington | Donte Moncrief WR - Ole Miss | Josh Huff WR - Oregon |
| Round 5 158 | Dakota Dozier G - Furman | Daniel McCullers DT - Tennessee | Josh Huff WR - Oregon | Davan Coleman DT - Arizona State | David Fales QB - San Jose State |
| Round 7 229 | Ken Bishop DT - Northern Illinois | Kevin Norwood WR - Alabama | Isaiah Crowell RB - Alabama State | Kareem Edwards G/C - Tennessee State | James Stone C - Tennessee |
| Round 7 231 | Michael Sam DE - Missouri | J.C. Copeland FB - LSU | Chidera Uzo-Dirbe DE - Colorado | Garrett Gilbert QB - SMU | Brandon Dixon CB - NW Missouri St. |
| Round 7 238 | Bashaud Breeland CB - Clemson | Denicos Allen LB - Michigan State | Kerry Hyder DT - Texas Tech | Ethan Westbrooks DE - W. Texas A&M | John Urschel G - Penn State |
| Round 7 242 | Kirby Van Der Kamp P - Iowa State | Specner Long G - Nebraska | Andrew Jackson ILB - Western Kentucky | Storm Johnson RB - UCF | Aaron Colvin CB - Oklahoma |
| Round 7 251 | Dezmen Southward S - Wisconsin | Ik Enemkpali DE - Louisiana Tech | Carrington Byndom CB - Texas | Kelvin Palmer OT - Baylor | Chris Whaley DT - Texas |
| Round 7 254 | Howard Jones OLB - Shepherd College | Cassius Marsh DE - UCLA | Steven Clark P - Auburn | Kiero Small FB - Arkansas | Cornelius Lucas OT - Kansas State |
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Bryan: I had a chance right off the bat to draft Manziel and didn't do it, but I am sure they would consider it. Hageman should be gone late one or early two, so will Latimer. In the 4th - I lost Billy Turner and Will Clarke, which hurt me. I took Murray on value; not sure they would. I like Trai Turner over Dozier but not there, so I made the pick. I got great value in the 7th with Bishop, Sam, Breeland, Southward. I have a solid leg in camp to now compete with Chris Jones. Howard Jones is going to be a special teams ace if we can teach him how to do it and develop as an outside linebacker.
David: The more I think about it, the more I want to trade the 16th pick. I don't think Aaron Donald or Anthony Barr will be there, which leaves limited options. I decided on Jernigan as the best bet if no one will trade up. Crichton and Brooks look like great values for where I picked them, and they should be able to contribute immediately. I don't think the Cowboys value running back that highly, but if a guy as good as West falls all the way to No. 119, I'd pull the trigger. Kevin Norwood has good speed and better hands, which makes it surprising that he's been so overshadowed in this receiver class. I love Denicos Allen's game film, and I'm sticking with my guy Spencer Long as a diamond in the rough.
Ed: In this scenario I would have the Cowboys trading back in the first to select Timmy Jernigan. We went through this process on The Draft Show and you can see that in the video to the right. This would give the Cowboys two second round picks and allow them to take Kony Ealy as well as one of the top receivers or even some more depth along the defensive line. I might be criticized for going offense in rounds three through four, but the addition of Turner, Sankey, and Huff could give this offense that extra kick it needs. My favorite late round player is still Isaiah Crowell, the running back from Alabama State. There are major character concerns here, but in terms of talent he'd be a steal in the 7th.
Nick: Not sure this is even within our rules, but I made a trade since I wanted to take Barr. I didn't think he'll be there at 16 but maybe 12-13. So I've made a trade and forfeited a third-round pick. I'm not sold Barr can't play OLB in a 4-3 and then rush the passer on third downs. I just think he's a catalytic player this defense needs. I like Bucannon's measurables and someone that brings toughness to the secondary. Moncrief might not be around this late, but he's another big target with deep speed and Coleman is a guy who can play a lot of positions across the line. With most of these seventh-rounders, the Cowboys will at least save money in having them drive in to the mini-camp.
Rowan: This is almost entirely different than my last go around, just because the likelihood of Aaron Donald being there at 16 isn't very high. I still think the Cowboys find a way to address the defensive line in the first, and Ealy should be there. If safety Jimmie Ward's off the board in the second, taking a chance on Easley's health isn't a bad idea given the disruption he can cause when healthy. Telvin Smith brings a ton of speed off the edge, and Huff's one of my only holdovers from the last mock draft because of what he can do in the slot at receiver. I put a quarterback on the board given the uncertainty with Kyle Orton, and Fales isn't a bad draw if he's there in the fifth. My seventh round features multiple players who slipped due to injury, but could become viable contributors when healthy.
