Photo Credit: mrlaugh (Flickr)
The Dallas Cowboys won’t make their first pick until the 27th overall, which could greatly impact the areas they need to fill.
After releasing DeMarco Murray this offseason, the clear position that needs reviving is their running back, where the top prospects for this position will most likely be gone by the time Dallas can make their first pick.
Therefore, it should be definite that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys staff grab the best running back that’s still hanging around by the 27th round.
The top three prospects that are projected to be available when the Cowboys make their first pick include Todd Gurley out of Georgia, Melvin Gordon from Wisconsin and Tevin Coleman out of Indiana.
Considered to be the best out of the bunch, Todd Gurley draws both positive and negatives for the team. The only reason he should still be around by this round is because he’s haunted by an ACL injury, which is the last thing the Cowboys want for a spot they’re so desperate to fill.
However, working with him patiently with this injury means they can mold him into the kind of running back other teams will be mad they passed up on.
Despite Gurley’s successful run at Georgia, my pick for the running back spot for the 2015 draft is Melvin Gordon.
The Cowboys should take a guy that’s fresh and already has the natural ability to slide right into their offense, considering his play at Wisconsin.
He’s used to running rep after rep, much like the Cowboys did with Murray and he’s used to finding the small holes that zone blocking opens up, which was the biggest contributor to the Cowboys’ successful running game last season. To me, he’s the ultimate pick and we can only hope he’s around by pick 27.
Another spot the Cowboys will look to take early is at cornerback. As we’ve seen, Morris Claiborne, their first pick in the 2012 draft at 6th overall, hasn’t quite lived up to his hype and suffered from a season-ending injury last fall.
Although Orlando Scandrick, a veteran Cowboy who’s been around since 2008, has shown growth and stability in the position, a solid corner is needed to take this defense to this next level.
Some of the top prospects for Dallas in 2015 include Marcus Peters from Washington, Kevin Johnson out of Wake Forest and Florida State’s P.J. Williams. Also, speculated as one of the biggest targets by Dallas for a corner is Josh Shaw, the USC defender who sparked a controversy this year lying about why he jumped off a balcony and sprained both of his ankles. I’m not particularly rooting for Shaw to be picked up by the Cowboys, but if his maturity can grow to match his talent, he should make a good fit.
Of course, there are several other areas for concern that the Cowboys may look to fill. There’s need for a linebacker, defensive end and maybe they should even bring up a solid back-up at quarterback for Tony Romo, whose arm and shoulder can be a big liability.
The Cowboys made an awesome first-round pick last year with center Zack Martin, who went on to see all-pro his first year in the league. Hopefully, this year, we’ll see similar success with the draft.
