The Cowboys have been aggressive in trimming their roster stockpile of vets and getting under the Cap. The biggest move so far was the subtraction of AMARI COOPER, with his bloated salary. WR JAMES WASHINGTON is being counted on to bolster the receivers corps sans COOPER. ER DANTE FOWLER is their most noteworthy VFA addition on D to pick up the slack for the loss of Randy Gregory. Last week the team was reported to have in excess of $15 million in Cap space, which would indicate a move to fill gaps still left after this Draft.
For now, let’s get on with the possible Draft additions with their 9 Picks. Their scouting lists need to go deep with them having 4 Picks in Round 5.
Pick 24 ZION JOHNSON G/C Boston College 6’3/314 A natural fit for the IOL, who has played just about everywhere along the OL in his career, including a healthy dress rehersal at OC during Senior Bowl week. Athletic and strong player who has starter written all over him. In fact, I would count him in as a long term Pro Bowl caliber starter.
Pick 56 CHARLIE KOLAR TE Iowa State 6’6/256 Big bodied, but athletic player. Works well crossing over the middle of the field and once his long frame gets into gear, he has good straight line speed. Has some blocking skills, but needs work in that regard. 34 1/2″ arm length along with his height make him a large target, much like a guy named WITTEN who played for the STAR.
Pick 88 NICK CROSS S Maryland 6’0/212 Great looking athlete who had an outstanding 2021 season on a poor Maryland team. His 4.34/40 at the Combine got him some well deserved attention. In fact, his numbers from Indy were impressive across the board. His 3-Cone was a 6.85 seconds. His vertical was 37″. Overall, his RAS-score put him in almost a dead heat with UGA Star Lewis Cine. He’s a future starter for them in my book.
Pick 129 BO MELTON WR/RS Rutgers 5’11/189 Greg Schiano seems to be working his magic back at Rutgers. MELTON was not highly regarded until this past season , in which he caught 55 balls for 618 yards and 3 TD’s. And then he burned a 4.34/40 at the Combine and really got popular with NFL personnel people. He’s pretty shifty and should make a nice slot receiver with Dallas. Gets separation on deep routes and tracks the ball well in the air.
Pick 155 CONNOR HEYWARD FB/H-B/TE Michigan State 6’0/239 Versatility and good genes from his dad “Iron Head” make him attractive to any coaching staff. He has surprisingly good hands, but then again they do measure 9.5″. I smell a Special Teams star here.
Pick 167 NICK ZAKELJ OT Fordham 6’6/316
Pick 176 KYRON JOHNSON LB Kansas 6’0/230
Pick 178 JOSH JOBE CB Alabama 6’1/182
Pick 193 CADE YORK PK LSU
The team didn’t need to draft immediate starters, though a couple of guys may muscle into roles as such by mid-season. They may have helped bump up quality on Special Teamers with his group. I like what I perceive to be a quality work ethic from these players.
As you might guess with the lack of glamour Picks, my draft effort for them kept Jerry Jones away from the the proceedings. Maybe out on his battleship yacht.
Cheers
Pigskin