As we inch closer to the NFL Draft, it feels like it’s been all-out Mock Draft Galore among analysts and fans, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for it to end.
All jokes aside, I can’t lie that I don’t love reading about the hypothetical scenarios that have the Dallas Cowboys snagging a certain prospect to fit their needs, but to be honest, I’m simply impatient and want to see who they select already.
Despite my rant, I was intrigued by a new mock draft written by ESPN Draft Expert Mel Kiper since he mocked two prospects that I haven’t seen people selecting for the Cowboys. While I understand prospects typically vary all over the place in a mock draft, I wanted to share with fans who he drafted for the Boys, so without further ado check it out below.
Pick 24: Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State
At Pick 24, you’re typically seeing the Cowboys going after a WR or OL prospect, but in his mock, he went with Penn State Defensive End Arnold Ebiketie.
My initial thought of the Ebiketie pick was surprising because I have seen him typically go on Day Two on mocks, but because of his freakish upside and relentless motor as a pusher, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go early.
In his explanation for the pick, Kiper said:
McShay is getting real tired of me talking up Ebiketie, but I’m a fan. I wanted to find a fit for him in Round 1. The Temple transfer really improved last season, putting up 9.5 sacks. He has a powerful lower body and knows how to use his hands. The Cowboys have to find a way to replace Randy Gregory, and Ebiketie could help. They could also target a guard or wide receiver here.
While most fans would love the idea of the franchise getting a replacement for Defensive End Randy Gregory, I felt the pick was too high to take him. If you looked further in the first round of his mock you see that Penn State WR Jahan Dotson, Boston College Guard Zion Johnson, Iowa Center Tyler Linderbaum, and Texas A&M Kenyon Green were still on the board, and those prospects could arguably be more beneficial for the Cowboys from Day One.
Although the selection of Ebiketie isn’t a terrible pick, I feel like the franchise could have grabbed one of those OL prospects to solidify their trenches, and looked for an edge-rusher on Day Two.
Pick 56: Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State
After landing a Defensive End in the first round, Kiper turned to the offense with their second-round pick and selected Washington State Offensive Tackle Abraham Lucas.
In his explanation for the selection, Kiper said:
The Cowboys released La’el Collins and think Terrence Steele can be a starter at Right Tackle. Let’s add some competition, though. Lucas impressed at the combine, and he stonewalled edge rushers on the right side for the Cougars. If he doesn’t start at Tackle, he could move inside to Guard. The O-Line is a clear area to upgrade for Dallas.
While the franchise would arguably solve two of their biggest team needs entering the draft, there are some questions around this pick because in consensus mock drafts Lucas is going around the Pick 94 range.
(Also, if we jump back to Ebiketie, he was being taken around the Pick 34 Range.)
Despite the late ranking, that shouldn’t diminish Luca’s talent level, but he’s another person who was a bit of reach for me.
I understand that it’s hard to complain since the franchise fills two holes on their team in Kiper’s mock, but if you dive more into the two rounds, you see that the Cowboys could have landed a Green, Johnson, or Linderbaum in the first round, and then paired them with Cincinnati DE Myjai Sanders or Ole Miss EDGE Sam Williams.
Overall, I’m just eager to see what the franchise is going to do in this year’s NFL Draft and with the recent news of Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones saying he would trade up, I’m excited to see possible fireworks around Jerry World.
So what do you think Cowboy Fans? Are you rocking with Kiper’s Picks?
