If you been trying to figure out exactly who the Dallas Cowboys may draft with their first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, then I think I can help you. Well, at least I can help you narrow it down.
Over the last decade, the Dallas Cowboys have kind of tipped their hand when it comes to their first-round selection. With the exception of Morris Claiborne in 2012, every player drafted by the Cowboys has been one of their 30 pre-draft visitors. That is why I always pay particularly close attention to the Cowboys pre-draft visitors, and this year is no exception.
As a right now, the Cowboys have met or are scheduled to meet with 20 prospects so far. That means they still have a few more pre-draft visitors to bring in if they choose to, but they don't always use all 30 visits.
It's also important to remember that the Cowboys have already attended Pro Days and held private workouts with potential prospects. And, there is always “Dallas Day”, where they can bring in local prospects who either grew up in the Dallas area or played locally in college. These are players such as Courtland Sutton (SMU) and DeShon Elliott (Rockwall-Heath High School).
But, the Dallas Cowboys seem to have more of an affinity for targeting the prospects who have been part of their 30 pre-draft visits when it comes to their first-round selection. Below are the 20 pre-draft visitors for the Cowboys so far.
Dallas Cowboys Pre-Draft Visitors
- DE Harold Landry, Boston College
- DE Arden Key, LSU
- DT Vita Vea, Washington
- DT Da'Ron Payne, Alabama
- DT Taven Bryan, Florida
- DT Breeland Speaks, Mississippi
- LB Leighton Vander Esch, Boise State
- LB Rashaan Evans, Alabama
- LB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
- S Terrell Edmunds, Virginia Tech
- OT Kolton Miller, UCLA
- OT Mike McGlinchey, Notre Dame
- OT Desmond Harrison, West Georgia
- C/OG James Daniels, Iowa
- RB Nyheim Hines, NC State
- WR Antonio Calloway, Florida
- WR Daurice Fountain, Northern Iowa
- WR D.J. Moore, Maryland
- WR Calvin Ridley, Alabama
- WR James Washington, Oklahoma State
After examining these 20 names, you should have a much better understanding of which prospect has the best chance of becoming the Dallas Cowboys first-round selection. In fact, I think only about half of these players are legitimate first-round locks, so that further simplifies things.
Of course, even though the Dallas Cowboys have been drafting players in the first-round who they brought in as part of their 30 visits, they could still very well go an entirely different direction. This would be the draft to do it since it's being held in Dallas. Luckily, we don't have much longer to wait.
