What will the cowboys do in the 2018 draft

Isn't he being judged a little too harshly? Rob: I don't know that he's been judged super harshly outside the building, other than the fact that he's not expected to win the No. He actually has as many career starts as Garrett Gilbert — one — but Gilbert has been around the league longer. No doubt DiNucci struggled in that lone start against Philly, but I agree that it's hard to evaluate a seventh-round pick who had no preseason and hardly any practice reps before that week. I spoke to him last week and he sounded confident that a normal-ish offseason and preseason will allow him to show what he can really do.

But I'd say there's pressure on everybody behind Dak Prescott because the Cowboys have made no secret about looking for backup competition. David: I think that depends on what your expectations were in the first place. I completely agree that the deck was completely stacked against Ben DiNucci.

Stepping into a division game with a depleted offensive line would be hard for any backup — let alone a seventh-round pick who didn't get to have a preseason.

At the same time, I think you have to acknowledge that the odds are not in his favor, regardless of the circumstances.

It's tough to make it in this league, and the track record for seventh-round picks is not wonderful. All of that said, I'm excited that he'll get a more traditional training camp, complete with a preseason schedule, to show what he can do. That said, the Austin acquisition might be emblematic of the kind of offense the Cowboys plan to run. It's clear they want to get more versatile offensively, and more "Dak-friendly," as they've been saying all offseason.

Austin's experience at West Virginia lends itself to employing Chiefs-stlye trickeration with jet sweeps and misdirection and mesh concepts like the ones the Eagles utilized to win the Super Bowl. As we've written previously, the Cowboys should take advantage of Prescott's ability to make the correct reads on those type of plays, as well as the pressure his mobility puts on the defense. Using Austin as a ball-carrier and decoy in the style of, say, Tyreek Hill or Tarik Cohen makes some degree of sense.

If he can make defensive ends hesitate for even a moment before Prescott hands the ball to Elliott, that can mean the difference between a short gain or a first down. If he can take advantage of the fact that defenses will key on Elliott and speed around the edge, that can help the Cowboys create the kind of big plays they were missing last season.

The DallasCowboys added more veteran receiving depth by trading a sixth-round pick to the L. Rams for Tavon Austin. Similarly, players like Hurns and Gallup make sense as versatile weapons who can line up at several positions Hurns can line up anywhere and Gallup got extensive experience at both X and Z while at Colorado State and run all kinds of routes.

A big issue with the Cowboys' receiving trio of Bryant, Beasley, and Williams was their limited individual capabilities. Dez was always running hitches, slants, or digs.

Williams was always going deep. Beasley was always staying short. And Witten was always running eight-to yards down the middle of the field. Adding players that can do a little bit of everything so the defense doesn't necessarily know what to expect should help create wider throwing lanes for Prescott, who had to throw into tight coverage more often than almost any other passer in the league last season.

It helps that Gallup excelled at making contested catches and at beating press coverage, considering how big an issue that was for the Cowboys' primary receivers last season. Working through all of this brings up a lot of uncertainty, and so it seems logical to expect that the Cowboys will once again lean on the running game as the foundation of the offense.

That makes sense, given the strength of the offensive line and the explosive and efficient capabilities of Elliott. But they can expect to see a lot of stacked boxes until Garrett, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, Prescott, and the pass-catchers prove that opposing defenses need to pay attention to what's going on outside. Using deception and versatility to attack defenses in more varied ways than they have in the past makes sense as a tactic for doing that.

Whether the Cowboys acquired the correct players to put that plan into action remains to be seen. By Jared Dubin. Apr 30, at am ET 12 min read. Packers vs. Watch Now:. Here's the full list of picks the Cowboys hold in the draft, which will be updated as each selection is made.

And yet, they went with linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, which suggests they believe that Sean Lee—injury prone, 32 years old in July and a contract expiring in —is nearing his end. Scouting Report : A lanky inside linebacker with the raw athleticism and speed to be a sideline-to-sideline tackling machine, Vander Esch needs to fill out his frame a bit more, but he could step in as an immediate starter as a 4—3 WILL or 3—4 ILB.

Medicals, because of a neck injury, are a concern for some teams. Either way, the Cowboys now have a fifth super-high-pedigreed offensive lineman. With no immediate major needs on defense save for maybe pass rusher , the Cowboys could afford to re-invest in an area of strength.

Are we looking at a cheaper, younger Dez Bryant? In the divisional round against the Los Angeles Rams, Gallup had the first yard game of his career. Gallup then followed that up with an 1,yard season in solidifying himself as a legit NFL wide receiver and being called a WR1A by Amari Cooper. The only question is, will they be able to afford him. With Dak Prescott set to return in and the offensive line healthier, Michael Gallup is set for a strong season.

After you get past the third round of the NFL Draft, the expectation for contributions begins to adjust a bit. Armstrong has 2. That all changed last season when Blake Jarwin went down early in the season opener.

Schultz was thrust into the starting lineup and proved more than capable of being a starting tight end in the NFL. Schultz provided steady ability in the running game and was really good in the passing game. In , the former Stanford tight end caught 63 passes on 89 targets for yards and four touchdowns.

His season was so good that the Cowboys felt comfortable standing pat at the top of the depth chart at tight end. He and Blake Jarwin will compete for starting snaps in and Schultz should have a leg up after his performance. Mike White was brought in to compete with Cooper Rush for the backup quarterback job in but White was not very good in the preseason and Rush held onto the spot behind Prescott for another year.

Given that the Cowboys have found important snaps from fifth-round picks and beyond Xavier Woods, Donovan Wilson, and Cedrick Wilson , this pick was a waste. In , Cedrick Wilson finally found a role in the offense and put together some really nice games. As the Dallas Cowboys attempted to come back against the Seattle Seahawks in week three, Wilson caught five passes on seven targets for yards and two touchdowns.