Dallas Cowboys: Is Devin Smith their 2nd round choice?

Nov 29, 2014; Columbus, OH, USA; Michigan Wolverines defensive back Raymon Taylor (6) gets a hand on the facemask of Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Devin Smith (9) at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

The best part about profiling potential draft picks, building mock drafts and working on what various NFL teams need are all the possibilities that can catch your attention and make you think a little bit.

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com has done that with his latest mock draft in predicting the Dallas Cowboys will be selecting Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith in the second round with the 60th overall selection.

Brugler wrote the following about Smith and the possibility of joining the Cowboys via the draft:

"“While wide receiver isn’t the Cowboys’ top need, Smith is a player Dallas is interested in, and if he falls to this pick, I’d bet he’s the name on the card.”"

This choice really surprises me to a certain degree … actually, to be honest, I’ve never considered the Cowboys selecting a wide receiver in the second round.

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Would drafting Smith be a sign they don’t believe in Terrance Williams as a true No. 2 wide receiver, or would drafting Smith be a “Plan B” if they are unable to sign current No. 1 wide receiver Dez Bryant to a long-term deal in the future?

Remember, the Cowboys put the franchise tag on Bryant this offseason, as the two sides have yet to agree on a deal. Bryant could not show up at the start of the offseason program as well.

Those are just two possibilities, but either way it is looked at, Smith is still a very quality player and has played on the big stage since he was an important part of the recent National Championship Ohio State team.

In his senior season, Smith collected 33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 touchdowns. For his career as a Buckeye, the 6-0, 196-pound wide receiver from Massillon, Ohio had 121 receptions for 2,503 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Smith averaged 28.2 yards per reception for the Buckeyes in ’14, an improvement from the 15 yards per reception he had his junior season in ’13. That season, Smith had 44 receptions for 660 yards and eight touchdowns.

His longest reception from the ’14 season went for 80 yards, and in ’13, Smith had a reception of 90 yards.

CBSSports.com has Smith rated as the 53rd overall player (ninth-best wide receiver) on their big board, as the wideout had the following combine numbers:

40-Yard Dash: 4.42
20-Yard Dash: 2.59
10-Yard Dash: 1.56
225-Pound Bench Press: 10
Vertical Jump: 39 inches

Dec 28, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) runs after a catch against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compares Smith to Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who has been a pain against the Cowboys his entire career, as Jackson is also a former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver.

"“Smith has the feet and hips to become much more than a deep-ball specialist and should be able to step right into a gunner spot on special teams. He still needs to learn his craft and improve his hands, but he has rare speed to score from anywhere on the field.”"

This past season with the Redskins, Jackson had 56 receptions for 1,169 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games.

That is a tough comparison for Smith or many wide receivers to live up to because Jackson is a very good NFL wide receiver, but it seems from film and what the experts are writing that Smith has the skill set and physical attributes to become a very good pro.

Now back to the original discussion on Smith…Would drafting Smith be a smart decision? Would the Cowboys be better off drafting not for positional need with this choice, but draft to make an already solid spot on their roster even better?

Bob Sturm of DallasNews.com wrote about what he saw in Smith just last week:

"“When speed is that terrifying, then there is almost no choice. It worked for Ohio State and now he hopes to bring that similar home run ability to the NFL … A very nice player with very key skills, but just not enough versatility to invest too heavily.”"

There is no rule a team has to draft by need, so maybe this selection could actually occur with the 60th choice of the draft.

Though the Cowboys do have a need at defense, after going over the potential of this possibility, I can see where it could help make an already very good Cowboys offense that much better.

Seeing if the Cowboys show interest in the second round in Smith will give us something to pay attention to on Day 2 of the NFL Draft, but if I were a betting man, I’ll say the Cowboys will be looking elsewhere when the time for their 60th overall selection arrives next Friday.

Next: A case for drafting Marcus Peters

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