Cowboys News: Debating RB or WR in Round 1, Turpin’s must-see strike, Aikman makes waves at MNF?
Pre-draft buzz is reaching fever pitch, and there’s still nearly three weeks to go. We’re looking at a top wide receiver for Dallas, plus considering what would happen to the rest of the draft in order to land him at 26. We’re also talking running backs and whether that’s even a good idea in the first round. One rushing prospect may be getting too much hype, and a tight end outside the Big Three finds his way to the Cowboys in one of several mocks. And if the Cowboys want to really address defensive tackle, they have to do it early.
Meanwhile, we get a progress report on Jabril Cox, we examine how the Cowboys’ offseason looks even better now that OBJ has signed with Baltimore, and we go on a search for NFL talent on the other side of the world. All that, plus the Cowboys’ return specialist delivers a special first pitch in MLB, and is Troy Aikman making waves behind the scenes at Monday Night Football? That’s all up next in News and Notes.
2023 NFL draft: A running back in Round 1? Why Bijan Robinson is risky :: ESPN
Bill Barnwell debates the merits of taking a running back (even the best prospect in years) early, and he uses Dallas and their 26th selection as the example. His numbers show that a team has to be more than five times as confident about a rookie rusher turning into an above-average starter than it does about a quarterback to justify the pick in Round 1. And still, there’s minimal return: even if you believe Robinson is going to be the best running back in football, the league sees that being worth about as much as cornerback Charvarius Ward or wide receiver Allen Robinson got in free agency a year ago.
BackCAST 2023: Is Zach Charbonnet overrated? :: Football Outsiders
BackCAST projects running back success based on statistics that have correlated with success in the past, like a good size-speed combination, a high yards-per-carry average, and how involved he was in his college team’s running attack. The BackCAST score compares each back to the production of an “average” drafted running back. This year, Texas’s Robinson is the clear top dog, and UAB’s DeWayne McBride and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs follow at a distance. Charbonnet from UCLA may be overrated- a very good runner, but perhaps not quite as special as some team will expect based on when they take him.
Report: Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba scheduled to visit Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
Several NFL teams reportedly have the Dallas native as the only wide receiver in this year’s class worthy of a first-round pick. The Cowboys were caught off-guard when CeeDee Lamb fell to them in 2020’s opening round, having never even interviewed the Oklahoma product. They aren’t making that same mistake with Smith-Njigba, doing due diligence by hosting him for an official pre-draft visit.
Seven, 7-round mock drafts: What happens if Cowboys go WR first? :: Cowboys Wire
To get a top-flight wide receiver, the Cowboys have to trade up in this mock. They get Smith-Njigba to create “an offense with two Lambs,” but it costs them their second-round pick. They still get an “absolute mauler”of an offensive lineman, though, plus an edge-rushing linebacker, a bellcow running back, and a Johnathan Hankins clone. Another linebacker, a nasty guard, one of the Big Ten’s top tight ends, and another shifty running back round out the haul.
Cowboys' offseason looks even better after Ravens' OBJ signing :: Cowboys Wire
Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandin Cooks will now forever be linked in the minds of Cowboys fans, but a deeper dive into their careers show that Dallas really got the better deal. Taken within nine picks of one another in 2014’s draft, their stats are very similar. OBJ has the Pro Bowls and the marquee name, but he’ll be expected to carry an entire WR corps in Baltimore during his one-year rental. If Cooks can just come in and do exactly what he’s done for nine seasons, he’ll raise the game of everyone around him… and maybe help build something lasting.
Progress Report: Reps key for Jabril Cox in 2023 :: The Mothership
The Cowboys have been patient with the former LSU linebacker as he came back from an ACL tear as a rookie, but he’ll need to get on the field consistently to show coaches that he belongs there. He could step into Luke Gifford’s special teams spot in 2023 and also compete for snaps behind Micah Parsons, Leighton Vander Esch, and Damone Clark.
The Cowboys could target a defensive tackle early — it’s an impressive but short supply :: The Athletic
The drop-off from the top bunch of DTs to the rest is substantial. And with only one pick the top 57 selections, the supply will not meet the demand for the Cowboys. If they want a very good one, they’ll need to do it early and pick one of these five: Georgia’s Jalen Carter, Pitt’s Calijah Kancey, Clemson’s Bryan Bresee, Michigan’s Mazi Smith, or Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton.
2023 NFL mock draft: QBs go 1-2-3, trades abound in new two-round projections :: Touchdown Wire
Our own K.D. Drummond picked Pitt’s Kancey with the 26th selection, calling him “just too good to pass up” in the first round and putting him in the same mold as Aaron Donald. At 58, he goes defense again with Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, looking ahead to a day when Trevon Diggs is on the tag, Jourdan Lewis is gone, and the Stephon Gilmore Band-Aid isn’t holding things together.
Cowboys go TE in latest CBS Sports mock but not the TE you're thinking :: Cowboys Wire
Iowa has a knack for cranking out NFL-caliber tight ends. Their latest is ranked by CBS Sports as the fourth-best in this year’s crop, but the outlet has him being the first one taken this draft, by Dallas.
Cowboys appear ready to go on offensive during 2023 draft :: Cowboys Wire
Most of the offseason work done in Dallas has been on defense, leaving them positioned to make a run at several offensive playmakers in this year’s draft. Running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, and even backup quarterback prospects would be wise to have their phones ready whenever the Cowboys are on the clock.
Cowboys return man delivers impressive first pitch at Rangers game :: Shawn McFarland (Twitter)
KaVontae Turpin paints the corner, throws in a backflip for good measures. pic.twitter.com/OEujZQUsg2
— Shawn McFarland (@McFarland_Shawn) April 11, 2023
NFL heads to Kenya as 'NFL Africa' program expands :: NFL.com
A talent identification and flag football event in Nairobi, Kenya this week will see 29 prospects aged 16-21 from African nations including Cameroon, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Senegal take part in a combine-style camp. In showcasing their skills, they’ll perhaps get an invite to the NFL International Combine, NFL International Player Pathway Program, or the NFL Academy in the UK.
Sources detail Troy Aikman’s rocky relationship with MNF crew in wake of production shakeup :: Awful Announcing
ESPN will be installing a new director and producer for Monday Night Football, with the ripple effects trickling into the network’s college football coverage teams, too. And reports suggest that it was the former Cowboys quarterback who was vocal with his bosses about wanting the change. Aikman expressed frustration several times over the season about things like equipment issues; crew personnel maintain that Aikman jetted into town at the last minute, didn’t come to meetings, rarely tried to ingratiate himself with the broadcast team, and would “yell at everyone in the truck when he wasn’t getting what he wanted.”
