Needs by Position

[Haynie]

Before knowing exactly what's going to happen with free agents, retirements, and so forth, here's how I rank our positional needs going into this offseason. Some of these include assumptions of what I think will happen with various current players:

1. Running Back - Barber is in, Julius is out, and Tyson fell off the map this year. Julius should be gone through free agency, giving us huge hole to fill for our depth and situational needs. I think a third-down specialist with kick return skill would be the ideal acquisition. Marion has proven he can be the main man, but the two spots behind him are certainly up for grabs.

2. Cornerback - After Newman, we have nothing but questions and liabilities. We can't go into another year with Reeves and Jones as our depth. Even Henry is a potential problem thanks to age and health. Corner and running back are the two spots where we'll definitely need immediate help in 2008, so they're the easy picks.

3. Wide Receiver - I have faith in Owens and Glenn for next year, but beyond that is a concern. Crayton is certainly an excellent #3, but we need someone else who has Owens' ability to create matchup problems should Terrell miss any time in the future. Receiver is one of the positions where players need the most time to develop also, so taking somebody now would serve us well when our starters do finally leave.

4. Defensive End - After Canty, we don't know for sure if there's a great starter. We've all lost faith in Spears, and Hatcher's never proven he can handle full-time duties. This spot is too crucial to our defensive scheme for anything to be left to chance.

Everything else after this really is a matter of finding the right guys at the pick. These four positions are where I feel we can't afford to come out of the draft with nothing.

[sweatthepipe]

RB - One spot will hopefully be Coleman from the PS. The other will depend on if we think we could get Chris Johnson in the 2nd or not. If we don't, I see us taking Felix in the 1st..

CB - I would hope 1 of our 1st rounders. Either Talib or McKelvin.

If we can trade Spears for an early second, that would give us the opportunity to draft Kentwan Balmer from UNC at DE.

So, with our 2 1st's and 2 2nd's, we get CB, RB, DE, and a WR.

1st - Felix
1st - McKelvin
2nd - Balmer
2nd - WR

I also wouldn't mind trading Fasano since he can't catch TD's. We have Curtis, who does catch TD's.

[barberforprez]

Yeah about that.....

Kentwan Balmer is a mid first rounder.

[sweatthepipe]

I doubt he goes that high, but it was just an idea.

[CowboyFan-n-GA]

I think that another advantage of getting a WR now is they can learn from TO and Glenn, especially about TO's work ethic, like TO learned from Rice.

I think Mario Manningham from Mich would be a good WR, we could get him with one of our firsts.

[barberforprez]

I doubt he goes that high, but it was just an idea.[/b]

Yeah well you might be right. Alan Branch fell from a top ten pick to a second rounder on draft day. However, I could see more DT's being picked early this year than in years past just becuase of the teams that need to work on run defense....Miami, Cinci, KC, Denver, etc. Balmer is highly regarded as the third best behind Ellis and Dorsey.

[duffer]

Many are saying that this year's draft is not too deep at CB. They point to McKelvin, Cason, & Jenkins as being the top prospects.

[sweatthepipe]

Yeah well you might be right. Alan Branch fell from a top ten pick to a second rounder on draft day. However, I could see more DT's being picked early this year than in years past just becuase of the teams that need to work on run defense....Miami, Cinci, KC, Denver, etc. Balmer is highly regarded as the third best behind Ellis and Dorsey.[/b]

The thing about Balmer is he is a tweener. I think he would be a better fit as a 3-4 DE than a 4-3 DT. Just my opinion, and if that is the belief, I could see him slipping to the early 2nd.

[barberforprez]

I don't know if that would make him slip at all. last year Carriker was listed as a 3-4 defensive end and the Rams drafted him really early to play DT.

[sweatthepipe]

You may be right. It's hard to tell right now so early.

Another DE to keep our eye on would be Kendall Langford from Hampton. 6'6" 294 5.00 - 40

His stock is probably rising also. He might end up in the 2nd.

[DCfan60]

We have MBIII .. we dont need a RB from the 1st round.. CB and WR in the first..

[barberforprez]

If the value is there.... why not take a first round rb. He wouldn't be starting but if the value isn't there for a WR then take him. I think we will go WR though.

Check out my latest mock, just revised a few hours ago.

www.draftwisdom.com

Leave some feedback...it only makes it better.

[CowboyzAdam]

You may be right. It's hard to tell right now so early.

Another DE to keep our eye on would be Kendall Langford from Hampton. 6'6" 294 5.00 - 40

His stock is probably rising also. He might end up in the 2nd.[/b]




Now Sweat I am like you...I really like Kendall Langford. I love guys like this out of small schools entering the draft. A lot of time they go unnoticed. Kendall was All American in 2006 and 2007. He is not bad in the 40 either. He averaged 4.9 at Pro day.

I hear he plays a mean game of basket ball as well. Maybe he Romo and Garrett can hook up? LOL The reports have him as a very physical and explosive type of player. He has admitted that he needs to work on his stunting coming into the NFL but that can be Coached easy. The plus side to him is he has played some tackle when called on but is better suited in the end role. That would be a nice flex for us to have if we were to get him IMO.

He is labeled by teammates as having the best Bull rush around. Some have him creeping in the late first round but he will probably go in the 2nd somewhere.

[flipsk8ernr]

1a- Malcolm Kelly or Super Mario
1b-Dominique Rodgers Cromartie
2-Chris Johnson

[barberforprez]

Don't care as long as it is a good Corner, a good WR, and a good speed RB.

[bnytch]

We have MBIII .. we dont need a RB from the 1st round.. CB and WR in the first..[/b]

A RB in the first round is not a stretch at all. Although I love MBIII, he is a product of a 2 back system. He ran in a 2 back system in college too with Maroney. It's a BIG difference if he has to run the ball 20 times a game EVERY week. With his running style, you had better have a backup that can produce.

1a. CB - McKelvin (Troy)
Rogers-Cromartie (Tenn St.)
Cason (Arizona)
Talib (Kansas)
1b. RB - Jones (Arkansas)
Stewart (Oregon)
Mendenhall (Illinois)
Johnson (East Carolina)
2. WR - Hardy (Indiana)
Bowman (Ok. St.)
Bennett (Vanderbilt)

The whole draft really all depends on how the picks before you go. If all the RBs that Dallas likes are still on the board when they pick at #28, then they will probably grab the best WR at that slot (if there is value in the pick) and wait until the 2nd round for the RB. It all depends on how the draft plays out. Personally, I would love the rumor of Roy Williams to Dallas for their 2nd round pick to come true. Heck, I'd even throw in Spears or Carpenter for that deal. That gives us a real solid WR that is ready to step in and be our #2 guy NOW, not in 2-3 years. Plus, if Owens gets hurt, he can slide into the #1 WR role with no problem. Then, we only need to pick the best RB and CB on the board at the time of our picks. SIMPLE ;)

[barberforprez]

Adarius Bowman has dropped a lot recently and could be a third rounder. He has just dropped WAY TOO MANY passes in recent showings. His stock is plummeting. A couple of months ago he was a first rounder.

[CowboyVG]

What type of Receiver do we need more a big, fast, possession, over the middle, red zone type to replace T-O in a few years or a smaller, speed back who can stretch the field to replace Glenn thie year or next. I see Dallas taking both in the first 3 rounds.

1st round:

Kelly- big #1
D. Jackson-Speed#2
Doucet-Possession#2 maybe #1
Sweed Big #1
Hardy-Big/Possession#2
Manningham-speed #2

2nd Round:

D. Thomas-Big#1
Bowman Big, possession#2
Caldwell-Speed-possible #1
Avery-Speed#2

3rd round:

Bennett-possession#2
Hall-big/fast-possible #1

I've might have missed one or two for the third round, but I see us taking Doucet, Sweed or Hardy in the first and Caldwell, Avery, or Hall in the 2nd or 3rd. Unless DeSean Jackson falls to us who is a fast #2, then we see if Bowman or Thomas falls to round 3 or get Bennett.