Dallas Cowboys 2012 Offseason: Mock Draft

The Dallas Cowboys are an average team, as evidenced by their win-loss record. I was going to wait until after the Cowboys season was over but that's pointless. If the Cowboys manage to beat the New York Giants, another average team, it won't mean anything. They are still an average team and they do not deserve to be in the playoffs.

That being said, the Dallas Cowboys face some personnel decisions to make. They have a number of holes, as many average teams do, and will seek to fill some of these through the draft. One thing, in my opinion, that Jerry Jones has never realized is that in the modern NFL you build success through the draft. The Cowboys have too often tried to sign "has-beens" and "never-weres" to fill holes as they appear rather than developing young talent. In order for the Cowboys to improve this needs to change and it needs to start with this year's draft.

The Dallas Cowboys have a number of serious needs throughout the team. Rob Ryan, son of Buddy, brother of Rex, was brought in to fix the defense. While he has certainly adjusted their attitude and his schemes are much more dynamic it's pretty apparent the players on defense are just not that good. Outside of future Hall-of-Famer DeMarcus Ware, perennial Pro-Bowler Jay Ratliff, and emerging star Sean Lee, the defense is almost entirely inadequate.

Meanwhile, while the offense has weapons, Tony Romo is under almost continuous pressure. If Tony Romo is constantly forced to scramble or ending up on his back the best offensive firepower the league has to offer wouldn't be enough to make the team successful. The Cowboys need to dramatically improve their offensive line if they are to have any hope of future success.

With that in mind, I've put together a very rough, very amateur mock draft. Take this mock draft with an enormous grain of salt as I am hardly a college football expert. Most of my analysis and perspective is based on what I have read from around the web. This is for entertainment and to get people thinking about the possibilities for next year's Dallas Cowboys.

This seems to be kind of the consensus pick for the Cowboys thus far. There are four or five quality Cornerbacks whom the Cowboys could take with this pick. It's likely that Morris Claiborne and Dre Kirkpatrick will be off the board by the time the Cowboys pick (somewhere in the low twenties).

I'm making a big assumption that Alfonzo Dennard will still be available. Several teams have interest in a talented Cornerback and some consider Dennard better than his former teammate Prince Amukamara.

The Cowboys pass coverage is beyond atrocious and they need to improve over Terrence Newman. A combination of Dennard and Mike Jenkins (whose play, while not stellar, is vastly improved over 2010) could be potent.

Dennard and Jenkins are both aggressive and physical. They like to play close to the line of scrimmage and jam wide receivers. This is a big change over Newman, who prefers to hang back and break on the route when he senses the pass coming. This worked, until his age caught up with him and his speed deteriorated.

In the event Dennard is off the board, Janoris Jenkins and Chase Minnifield should still be available. I may go with Minnifield as Jenkins' off the field issues are of the "fighting outside the bar" variety.

If Martin is still on the board, this pick is a no-brainer. The Cowboys must continue to get better in the secondary in order to prevent Quarterbacks like Rex Grossman from looking like Aaron Rodgers. Martin is rangy and doesn't have a problem laying the wood.

Martin would certainly be an upgrade over Abram Elam and he would allow Gerald Sensabaugh to return to his more natural position of Strong Safety. Combined with Dennard the Dallas Cowboys' secondary immediately becomes much more formidable.

McClellin is a versatile player who has lined up at Defensive End, Outside Linebacker, and Inside Linebacker for the Mustangs. This versatility is coveted by coach Rob Ryan.

More importantly, McClellin has a knack for getting to the Quarterback with 7 sacks on the season. Other than DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys don't have much of a pass rush. Anthony Spencer has never panned out and the Cowboys won't spend money to bring him back. That being the case McClellin can fill the void and provide some pressure opposite Ware.

If McClellin can adjust effectively to the next level he could be a steal in the third round. Forcing teams to pay attention to him will free up DeMarcus Ware and give the Cowboys a number of defensive options.

The Cowboys offensive line has been abysmal, allowing way too much pressure in the middle. Doug Free, while not playing as well as he did in 2010, has been serviceable on the left and Tyron Smith has been a revelation on the right.

Washington has played both Tackle and Guard but is projected as a Guard in the NFL. The Cowboys need a versatile offensive lineman with both power and athleticism. They like to pull Guards so they'll need someone who can do that but also prevent the pocket from collapsing the way it has this season. Washington should provide an upgrade at either Guard spot and force David Arkin, Bill Nagy, Derrick Dockery, and Kyle Kosier to compete for the other spot.

Jason Witten has the most career receiving yards in Cowboys history and has a good shot at ending up in the Hall-of-Fame but he is entering the later part of his career and the Cowboys could groom a young Tight End. Martellus Bennett was meant to fill this role but he has never lived up to his potential.

The Cowboys can develop Dunsmore, who has tremendous physical talent, and even incorporate him in certain situations. They can employ two Tight End sets to compliment their already formidable Wide Receiving corps. Dunsmore can have some impact immediately while developing behind the best all around Tight End in the league.

The Cowboys defense needs help in all phases, including on the defensive line. Jay Ratliff is solid but on either side of him are serious questions. It looks like the Cowboys may have something in Sean Lissemore and Josh Brent but outside of their potential there are major issues.

Patrick Butrym has the physical tools to develop into a run-stuffing Defensive End. His quick feet will help him move laterally and being next to a playmaker like Ratliff may give him the opportunity to get into the backfield. Additionally, Butrym seems to have a fiery attitude and locker room presence that is sorely missing on this Cowboys team.

Butrym would definitely be a developmental pick but could blossom in quickly in Rob Ryan's system.

At this point in the draft you're looking for value. The Cowboys return game hasn't been spectacular and McCoy has shown some flashes in that area. His skills at Cornerback may or may not be something to build on in the future. For now, the Cowboys could utilize his skills as a returner and on special teams while seeing if he can develop into a serviceable number 4 Corner.

There you have it. My very early, very amateur, very hopeful Mock Draft. I hope you find it intriguing and it gets you thinking about the possibilities. As stated at the top, sure the Cowboys may win the game against the Giants and end up in the playoffs. It may even be possible the Cowboys could pull off a win in the Playoffs but I doubt it but, for now, I'm going to go ahead and look towards the future.

The Cowboys have some serious work to do but with a solid draft, some key free agent signings, and the continuing evolution of the Cowboys' culture next season may finally be their year.

My latest Cowboys' Mock Draft is now available.