The best offseason moves made by the teams in theNFC East are detailed by Todd Archer, John Keim, Jordan Raanan and Tim McManus. 1:45 The Dallas Cowboys had their national visitors come to The Star this week to meet with coaches, medical staff, scouts and front office, most notably owner and general manager Jerry Jones. The Cowboys have a few spots left for last-second visits, but their list is usually a good indicator of who they will eventually pick. In the last decade, the Cowboys have used their first selection on a player to visit Valley Ranch or The Star only three times: LB DeMarcus Ware, CB Morris Claiborne and WR CeeDee Lamb. Lamb's case was different because players weren't allowed to make in-person visits to facilities because of the Pandemic. The only contact he had with the Cowboys prior to the draft was at the combine. Last year's first pick, LBr., had a virtual visit with the Cowboys. The Cowboys had first-round talents at defensive tackle (Georgia's Jordan Davis) and linebacker (Utah's Devin Lloyd) in for visits, but they had multiple first-round prospects in the building. McShay and Kiper have the same rank.
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Why are there those spots?
The Cowboys lost their top receiver in free agency when they traded Cooper to Cleveland. They re-signed Michael Gallup, who could miss the first few games as he recovers from knee surgery, and added James Washington.
On the offensive line, the Cowboys parted ways with right tackle Lael Collins, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and left guard Connor Williams joined the Dolphins. They haven't added an offensive lineman yet.
Jones told reporters at the NFL owners meetings that they would get an offensive lineman unless Lamb or Parsons were present.
Here is a look at the fit of the players who stopped by The Star this week:
I would be surprised if he got past Green Bay. Overall it was just smooth. I would describe him as a smooth route runner with plenty of vertical speed. He has good coordination to track the ball. I don't think he will be there at 24 but he would be a good fit. Lamb and Gallup complement each other because they don't attack the deep part as consistently as he does. He would get to the third level.
When he was at Arkansas, they had him play outside of the offensive line, so he was a little bit underdeveloped compared to some of the others. You had to stop the screen to find 16. He would be a quarterback, running back, slot, or H-back. They used him in a number of ways, but in some ways that was a disservice to him because he didn't get to develop as a route runner. That is something you notice a lot on tape. He is a jack of all trades but a master of none. He will be fine if you get him with a creative offensive assistant like Kellen Moore.
Dallas is a good landing spot for Burks based on scheme, team needs and value.
Drake London is the most polarizing of the group because we haven't seen him do any pre-draft stuff. We will know more about his pro day on April 15. He is a big body at 6-foot-4 and 219 pounds. He reminds me a lot of Mike Williams when he was a student. He is big. He will get it. I think he is an under-recognized route runner. After the catch, he can give you a lot. That is different with some of the other guys.
OG Green, Texas A&M, said that he is a Day 1 starter at left guard. He played every position except center at A&M, but he did some snapping at the combine, so maybe some think he's a center/guard. I don't think he will play left tackle at the next level. If you want to play him at center or guard, you have to be confident in Tyler Biadasz or if you want to play him at guard, you have to be confident inConnor Williams. I think that is realistic.
OG Zion Johnson is one of my favorite players in the class. Throughout the pre-draft process, I have been impressed with him. He played guard and tackle at BC and we have seen him play center at the Senior Bowl. He played there for the first time and there was no drop-off. He can play both centers and guards. I think he is an interior guy, but he is not a tackle. I run the card up as fast as I can if Johnson is there.
I think he will go in the top 15. I think he goes to the Saints at 16 or the Bolts at 17 since both have needs at tackle. He is not going to be for everyone because of his inexperience as a run-blocker. It was between 81% and 19% as far as pass to run with Mike Leach's system. He is very inexperienced as a run-blocker. He can do it, but he is not as experienced as he could be. He is more polished as a pass-protector. If you want to put the ball in the air, Cross is the place for you. I don't know if you're Pittsburgh or Baltimore, a ground-and-pound team.
There is a lot of differing opinions right now. I see him more in the second round, but I wouldn&t be surprised if he goes in the first. He is going to be a little older. He will be 25 when he starts his first year and there will be some teams that have age thresholds that they will be out on, especially talking about longevity and a second contract on a 30-year-old. He started off as a tight end and then transitioned to tackle. He has strength. I think he is a right tackle only right now, but if someone thinks he can play left tackle, that would be a surprise.
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