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By JON MACHOTA / Special contributor to SportsDayDFW.com
Related items Yes, the Dallas Cowboys just completed their 2011 NFL Draft and you're probably not prepared to wrap your mind around the 2012 draft.
Well, I'm sorry, but 2012 mock drafts are hitting the web and it's my job to inform the masses of what prognosticators are projecting for the Cowboys. While gathering the latest information, the actual picks take a back seat to where the experts believe the Cowboys will be making their selection.
Of the 10 drafts, only one has the Cowboys selecting in the top 15 of the first round. Apparently, outsiders believe Jason Garret and Co. are headed in the right direction. One expert even projects the Cowboys having the No. 29 selection, meaning they finished 2012 with a loss in the NFC Championship Game.
The top eligible prospects will change quite a bit in the next year, but this should give you an idea of possible targets and collegiate players to keep an eye on.
ESPN.com’s D.J. Gallo [May 5]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State.
Reasoning: "The Cowboys select Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon to take the place of Dez Bryant, who is being indefinitely held by mall security over reports that Bryant did not pay for soda refills at the food court."
-
NFLMocks.com [May 5]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas.
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FoxSports.com’s Peter Schrager [May 4]:
Pick: No. 29
Selection: Andre Branch, DE, Clemson.
Reasoning: "Welcome back to the playoffs, Cowboys. With a healthy Tony Romo , Dallas makes it back to the postseason, beating the Saints in a divisional-round shootout, only to fall to the Packers up in Lambeau Field in the NFC championship game. With the defensive line needing a young talent up front, Jerry Jones and company grab Branch, the 6-5, 260-pound talent out of Clemson."
-
CBSSports.com’s Chad Reuter [May 4]:
Pick: No. 26
Selection: Robert Lester, FS, Alabama.
Reasoning: "Dallas might still be looking for a free safety next April, and Lester's height, speed and ability to find the ball in the air should strike owner Jerry Jones as a high-impact pick at a typically low-priority position in the first round."
-
ESPN.com’s Todd McShay [May 4]:
Pick: No. 21
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Harris has a lot of work to do as a corner, but few individuals in college football show more explosiveness and big-play ability than he does. Harris is also one of the most dangerous return men in the nation."
-
SI.com’s Andrew Perloff [May 4]:
Pick: No. 11
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Harris is a bit undersized, but will fill a need here and can possibly be an explosive returner. He's similar to a young Terence Newman."
-
WalterFootball.com [May 4]:
Pick: No. 22
Selection: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama.
Reasoning: "The Cowboys ignored the rush linebacker position in the 2011 NFL Draft, so they're going to give Anthony Spencer another chance. If Spencer disappoints yet again, he'll need to be replaced."
-
NFLRoughDraft.com [May 4]:
Pick: No. 23
Selection: Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska.
Reasoning: "Crick has been a very disruptive player on the field in his collegiate career. He is an ideal fit in the 3-4 as a five technique and should put up very good numbers this year. He is a very similar player to J.J. Watt and I expect that he will fit into the same type of role in the NFL."
-
MockDraftMania.com’s Chris Ransom [May 2]:
Pick: No. 23
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Cliff Harris fills a need for Dallas at cornerback and would make a great fit for the Dallas Cowboys with the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dallas failed to address the pass defense in the 2011 NFL Draft."
-
SBNation.com’s Brian Galliford [April 30]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas.
Reasoning: "Running back lacks clarity in Big D, and Davis looks like an ascending star from a school that Jerry Jones is very familiar with."
Related items Yes, the Dallas Cowboys just completed their 2011 NFL Draft and you're probably not prepared to wrap your mind around the 2012 draft.
Well, I'm sorry, but 2012 mock drafts are hitting the web and it's my job to inform the masses of what prognosticators are projecting for the Cowboys. While gathering the latest information, the actual picks take a back seat to where the experts believe the Cowboys will be making their selection.
Of the 10 drafts, only one has the Cowboys selecting in the top 15 of the first round. Apparently, outsiders believe Jason Garret and Co. are headed in the right direction. One expert even projects the Cowboys having the No. 29 selection, meaning they finished 2012 with a loss in the NFC Championship Game.
The top eligible prospects will change quite a bit in the next year, but this should give you an idea of possible targets and collegiate players to keep an eye on.
ESPN.com’s D.J. Gallo [May 5]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State.
Reasoning: "The Cowboys select Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon to take the place of Dez Bryant, who is being indefinitely held by mall security over reports that Bryant did not pay for soda refills at the food court."
-
NFLMocks.com [May 5]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas.
-
FoxSports.com’s Peter Schrager [May 4]:
Pick: No. 29
Selection: Andre Branch, DE, Clemson.
Reasoning: "Welcome back to the playoffs, Cowboys. With a healthy Tony Romo , Dallas makes it back to the postseason, beating the Saints in a divisional-round shootout, only to fall to the Packers up in Lambeau Field in the NFC championship game. With the defensive line needing a young talent up front, Jerry Jones and company grab Branch, the 6-5, 260-pound talent out of Clemson."
-
CBSSports.com’s Chad Reuter [May 4]:
Pick: No. 26
Selection: Robert Lester, FS, Alabama.
Reasoning: "Dallas might still be looking for a free safety next April, and Lester's height, speed and ability to find the ball in the air should strike owner Jerry Jones as a high-impact pick at a typically low-priority position in the first round."
-
ESPN.com’s Todd McShay [May 4]:
Pick: No. 21
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Harris has a lot of work to do as a corner, but few individuals in college football show more explosiveness and big-play ability than he does. Harris is also one of the most dangerous return men in the nation."
-
SI.com’s Andrew Perloff [May 4]:
Pick: No. 11
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Harris is a bit undersized, but will fill a need here and can possibly be an explosive returner. He's similar to a young Terence Newman."
-
WalterFootball.com [May 4]:
Pick: No. 22
Selection: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama.
Reasoning: "The Cowboys ignored the rush linebacker position in the 2011 NFL Draft, so they're going to give Anthony Spencer another chance. If Spencer disappoints yet again, he'll need to be replaced."
-
NFLRoughDraft.com [May 4]:
Pick: No. 23
Selection: Jared Crick, DE, Nebraska.
Reasoning: "Crick has been a very disruptive player on the field in his collegiate career. He is an ideal fit in the 3-4 as a five technique and should put up very good numbers this year. He is a very similar player to J.J. Watt and I expect that he will fit into the same type of role in the NFL."
-
MockDraftMania.com’s Chris Ransom [May 2]:
Pick: No. 23
Selection: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon.
Reasoning: "Cliff Harris fills a need for Dallas at cornerback and would make a great fit for the Dallas Cowboys with the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Dallas failed to address the pass defense in the 2011 NFL Draft."
-
SBNation.com’s Brian Galliford [April 30]:
Pick: No. 20
Selection: Knile Davis, RB, Arkansas.
Reasoning: "Running back lacks clarity in Big D, and Davis looks like an ascending star from a school that Jerry Jones is very familiar with."
