We are now less than a week away from the 2013 NFL Draft and there are still plenty of questions about what the Dallas Cowboys will do with their first round pick. Obviously what teams do ahead of them makes a difference but as the Cowboys demonstrated last year, it pays to be prepared for any situation, especially when it comes to the unpredictability of the NFL Draft.
As it looks right now the Cowboys will probably be shut out from their top two targets, Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper, which leaves the possibility that Dallas will draft a defensive lineman at pick 18. The question is, does drafting a defensive lineman in a draft chock full of them, give the Cowboys value if they draft one with their first round pick?
The answer is no.
As much as I like Sylvester Williams from North Carolina or Sheldon Richardson out of Missouri, the Cowboys can likely get another defensive lineman with comparable skill somewhere in the second, and possibly third rounds. Players like Margus Hunt, Kawann Short or even Bennie Logan in the later rounds can offer the Cowboys much better value than taking one of the more highly touted linemen in the first round.
Of course the longer a player is available in the draft, the more holes there are in their game but for the Cowboys the name of the game should be value. They need to make the most out of every draft pick because they couldn’t spend much money in free agency and the draft is the biggest way they’ll improve in 2013. If that means the Cowboys need to trade back because they don’t like their options at 18, then that’s what they should do. There is no reason to reach at a deep position just because your top options have been taken.
The Dallas Cowboys need help on their defensive line, but that doesn’t mean they should talk themselves into drafting any player or position with their first pick in the draft. The 2013 NFL Draft is deep at plenty of positions, including defensive line, and the Cowboys would be wise to seek value when drafting.
