Are we ready for this? On Tuesday morning, NFL.com went all shock and awe in their opening salvo off mock drafts, firing off eight projections of the first round by their own analysts and some of the guys from NFL Network.
For the Cowboys, with pick No. 14, there is not much of a consensus, which is probably to be expected at this time of year. Of the eight mocks, six different players were assigned to the Cowboys.
Any names you could go for among these? Stanford guard David DeCastro was the only offensive player pegged to the Cowboys, drawing two connections. Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard was the only other player going to Dallas in two mock drafts.
Also penciled in for the Cowboys were South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram (a likely outside linebacker convert for the Cowboys), and three Alabama defenders, outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and strong safety Mark Barron.
My two cents here, it's hard to imagine Jerry Jones going for an offensive lineman in back to back years, particularly when the Cowboys' defense needs so much work, so I wouldn't expect DeCastro to wind up in Dallas.
And while the Cowboys' secondary certainly has to play better, and needs personnel upgrades, the quickest way to make the back end look better might be to improve the front seven. Another pass rusher appears to be this team's biggest need, because of the sum effect it would have on the defense as a whole.
It's awfully hard to argue with any defensive pick from the SEC, though.
