From DMN:
Mock drafts can give insight on which players might go in the first round. Visits, on the others hand, might shed more light on which players certain teams like.
Walter Cherepinsky of walterfootball.com also has an ongoing list of prospects -- which should be noted, is not the definitive list -- who have/will visit Dallas
Why is this important? According to SportsDay special contributor Bob Sturm, 22 of the last 49 picks by the Cowboys visited the team before the draft.
Here are 26 names that Brandon George, Jon Machota, Albert Breer and Cherepinsky said will have or already have had private visits with the Cowboys (listed in alphabetical order). The latest to visit is Central Florida cornerback Shaquil Griffin.
Note: All stats from sports-reference.com. All projected draft ranges from walterfootball.com.
Each team is allowed 30 pre-draft visits.
Chidobe Awuzie (CB) -- He's a 6-0, 205-pound defensive back, who had 265 total tackles and three interceptions in 48 games with Colorado. He also had 25 passes defended. His 11-foot broad jump was second best among cornerbacks at the combine. Projected draft range: 4th-6th round.
Derek Barnett (DE) -- Barnett sounds like the kind of player Dallas is seeking: a pass-rushing defensive end who can get in the backfield. In three years with Tennessee, he had 52 tackles for a loss and 32 sacks. NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has Dallas taking him in his most recent mock draft. Bob Sturm also sounds like he likes Barnett as a prospect. Projected draft range: 1st round.
Tarell Basham (DE) -- A four-year player at Ohio, Basham never had less than 4.5 sacks in a season (totaling 27 for his career). Projected draft range: 4th-6th round.
Taco Charlton (DE) -- His best year was definitely his final one at Michigan, totaling 10 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss (both doubled his totals in each category in three years). ESPN's Mel Kiper currently has Dallas taking Charlton in his latest mock draft. Projected draft range: 1st round.
Gareon Conley (CB) -- He had six interceptions in 35 games with Ohio State. SB Nation's Dan Kadar has Dallas taking Conley in his latest mock draft. Kadar said Conley is "NFL-ready from a technique standpoint, and now he has the size to match it (6-0, 195)." Projected draft range: 1st round.
Treston Decoud (CB) -- Like most of the CBs on this list, he's a big body (6-2, 206 pounds). He struggled with grades and didn't get into an FBS program until his junior year, according to NFL.com. In two years with Oregon State, he had 108 tackles and two interceptions. Projected draft range: N/A.
Charles Harris (DE) -- Harris (6-3, 253) was a second-team All-SEC player for Missouri in 2015 and 2016. He led the conference in tackles for loss (18.5) in 2015 and combined for 16 sacks in 2015 and 2016. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Shaquil Griffin (CB) -- Griffin (6-0, 194) ran a 4.38 40 at the combine. As a senior at Central Florida, he had 50 tackles, 15 passes broken up and four interceptions. He had similar numbers as a junior (50-13-2). Projected draft range: 4th-6th round.
Adoree' Jackson (CB) -- The USC defensive back notched five of his six career interceptions in his junior year. Has also had a career-high 11 passes defended. The Trojans used as a returner on special teams. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Damontae Kazee (CB) -- A corner out of San Diego State, Kazee had eight interceptions (tied for second-best in the FBS) in 2015 and earned conference defensive player of the year honors for his 75 tackles and seven pass breakups. He reclaimed the honor in 2016, with 65 tackles, seven interceptions (again T-2 FBS) and eight pass breakups. Projected draft range: 5th-7th.
Kevin King (CB) -- He's a big defensive back at 6-3 and 200 pounds. In four years at Washington he had six interceptions and 22 passes defended. SportsDay's Jon Machota recently said King intrigues him as a prospect because he has Richard Sherman-like size. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Tanoh Kpassagnon (DE) -- He's a big body (6-7, 289) and has some injury history (a torn MCL). He had 21.5 tackles for a loss and 11 sacks in his final year with Villanova. Projected draft range: 2nd-3rd round.
Malik McDowell (DT) -- Another huge presence at 6-6, 295, McDowell is widely considered one of the boom-or-bust prospects of this class, given his obvious physical talent and an apparent lack of motivation at times. On McDowell, Sturm wrote: "He has all sorts of ability and looks like a real high-end talent if everything falls right. He is very young and after watching his tape, I feel quite strongly about his ceiling." Projected draft range: 1st-3rd round.
Takkarist McKinley (DE) -- McKinley's senior year was by far his best. He had 10 sacks and 18 tackles for a loss at UCLA. Bob Sturm said he compares to Clay Matthews in "how he explodes at the snap." Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Obi Melifonwu (S) -- The Cowboys drafted Byron Jones out of UConn. Could they do the same with Melifonwu? The 6-4 safety recorded 349 tackles and eight interceptions in four years with the Huskies. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Fabian Moreau (CB) -- He might've been a first-round pick if it were not for a torn pectoral muscle during his pro day workout. He also only played in three games in 2015 due to a Lisfranc injury in his left foot. He had three interceptions in his college career. Projected draft range: 2nd-3rd round.
Curtis Samuel (WR) -- Samuel's listed as a wide receiver but considered a hybrid receiver/running back out of Ohio State. Sound familiar? Samuel caught 74 balls for 865 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016, in addition to averaging 7.9 yards per carry for 771 yards and eight more scores on the ground. He ran a 4.31 40 at the combine. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR) -- He's one of the few offensive players on this list. In three years with USC he had 213 catches for 3,092 yards and 25 TDs. He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the combine. Projected draft range: 2nd-3rd round.
Jalen "Teez" Tabor (CB) -- His wide draft range might be due to some off-the-field concerns. He was suspended for one game in 2016 for getting into a fight with a teammate. He was also suspended in 2015 and openly criticized those who gave him the suspension. On the field he was second-team All-American by several publications. Projected draft range: 1st-3rd round.
Cordrea Tankersley (CB) -- He played in just 11 games in his first two years at Clemson and had zero interceptions. Those numbers jumped dramatically when he played 28 games in his final two years and he had nine interceptions. He had the fifth fastest 40-yard dash time of all CBs at 4.4 seconds. Projected draft range: 2nd-3rd round.
Tedric Thompson (S) -- Like Awuzie, Thompson is a Colorado product that Dallas could go after in the later rounds, according to walterfootball.com. He had 26 passes defended and 13 interceptions in four years at Colorado. He does have an injury history missing part of the 2014 season due to concussions. Projected draft range: 4th-6th round.
T.J. Watt (LB) -- J.J. Watt's younger brother has had some injury history in the past (knee). He played just 22 games at Wisconsin. When healthy he was a pass-rushing force notching 17 tackles for a loss and 15 sacks. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Chad Williams (WR) -- Williams (6-0, 204) had 89 catches for 1,334 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior for Grambling. He caught 64 passes for 1,012 yards and 11 TDs as a junior. Projected draft range: 3rd-5th.
Quincy Wilson (CB) -- Wilson is another big CB that Dallas is reportedly meeting with. He's listed at 6-1 and 213 pounds. He had six interceptions in his career with Florida. According to NFL.com, less than 40 percent of the passes thrown his way at Florida were completed. ESPN's Todd McShay projected Wilson to the Cowboys in his latest mock draft. Projected draft range: 2nd-3rd round.
Tre'Davious White (CB) -- Morris Claiborne didn't exactly work as a first-round pick from LSU. Could White? He played four years in Baton Rouge notching six interceptions and 167 total tackles. Projected draft range: 1st-2nd round.
Xavier Woods (S) -- He might not have gotten much exposure playing at Louisiana Tech, but he did garner the respect of the Conference USA coaches being named a first-team All-Conference USA member his final three years at the school, according to NFL.com. He tallied 272 tackles and 14 interceptions in four years. Projected draft range: N/A.
OTHER PLAYERS
Here are other players that walterfootball.com said have visited with the Cowboys in some shape or form (The Cowboys can talk to players at pro days, private workouts and at the combine without it counting as one of their 30 official pre-draft visits, according to Bob Sturm):
Dallas Day: Seth Russell (QB, Baylor), Matt Davis (QB, SMU), Jerod Evans (QB, Va. Tech), Dane Evans (QB, Tulsa), Skyler Howard (QB, West Virginia), Jared Johnson (QB, UT-San Antonio).
At Pro Days: K.D. Cannon (WR, Baylor), Obi Melifonwu (S, Connecticut), Fabian Moreau (CB, UCLA), Seth Russell (QB, Baylor).
At the Senior Bowl: Adam Bisnowaty (OT, Pittsburgh), Corey Clement (RB, Wisconsin), Amara Darboh (WR, Michigan), Dion Dawkins (OT/G, Temple), Ben Gedeon (ILB, Michigan), Jaleel Johnson (DT, Iowa), Jourdan Lewis (CB, Michigan), Larry Ogunjobi (DT, Charlotte), Carroll Phillips (OLB, Illinois), Eddie Vanderdoes (DL, UCLA).
At the combine: Jake Butt (TE, Michigan), K.D. Cannon (WR, Baylor), Zach Cunningham (LB, Vanderbilt), Justin Evans (S, Texas A&M), Aaron Jones (RB, UTEP), Takkarist McKinley (DE, UCLA), David Njoku (TE, Miami), Donnel Pumphrey (RB, San Diego State), Dalvin Tomlinson (DL, Alabama), Demarcus Walker (LB, Florida State), Greg Ward Jr. (QB/WR, Houston), T.J. Watt (LB, Wisconsin), Dede Westbrook (WR, Oklahoma), Mike Williams (WR, Clemson).
At a private workout: Julie'n Davenport (OT, Bucknell), Jahad Thomas (RB, Temple), Obi Melifonwu (S, Connecticut), Jalen Myrick (CB, Minnesota), Derek Rivers (DE, Youngstown State), Cordrea Tankersly (CB, Clemson), T.J. Watt (LB, Wisconsin), Chad Williams (WR, Grambling), Quincy Wilson (CB, Florida), Shaquil Griffin (CB, UCF), Malik McDowell (DT/DE, Michigan State)
Showing interest in the player: Jordan Willis (DE, Kansas State)
