Dallas Cowboys: Many questions remain with No. 4 pick
Who will the Dallas Cowboys select with the fourth overall selection of the 2016 NFL Draft? There are a few potential possibilities, and a lot will determine their overall choice by who is still left on the board after the first three picks have been made.
The mystery with the Dallas Cowboys and their No. 4 overall pick is enough to give them their own TV show, because being less than a month away from the 2016 NFL Draft, the Cowboys aren’t tipping their hand whatsoever, and with questions surrounding those picking in front of them, we’ll just have to continue guessing.
There is the fact we still aren’t 100-percent sure who the Tennessee Titans are selecting No. 1 overall. They could draft the top offensive tackle, Laremy Tunsil, to protect their investment in their No. 2 overall pick from last season in quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Then there are the Cleveland Browns, and they are always unpredictable. They might actually surprise and not select a quarterback since they just signed free agent and former No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III, so they could look somewhere other than quarterback with their second overall pick.
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With the San Diego Chargers selecting third overall, they are most likely going the defensive route with possibly one of the top two defensive ends in this draft in Joey Bosa of Ohio State or Oregon’s DeForest Buckner.
That leaves the Cowboys waiting in the shadows with their overall selection, as they could take one of two defensive ends, maybe the top wide receiver Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss or what might be the most logical selection in either Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey or UCLA outside linebacker Myles Jack, who is probably the best athlete in the entire draft.
I’d be surprised if one of those aforementioned players don’t end up with the Cowboys, and I’ll be even more surprised if they decide to go a completely different route and draft a quarterback with the fourth overall selection.
Jack is being compared by some as the second coming of Ray Lewis, saying he’s even faster than what Lewis was when he dominated the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens. Even as good as Jack is, he would be a great addition to the roster of the Cowboys, but don’t go light on the possibility of Ramsey landing with the Cowboys at No. 4 either, even though I believe he’s good enough to be a Top 3 pick as well.
According to Chase Goodbread of NFL.com, he quoted draft expert Lance Zierlein from a podcast and what he thinks about the Cowboys possibly drafting Bosa at No. 4 overall:
"“I don’t believe the Dallas Cowboys will draft Joey Bosa,” Zierlein said on The Pick Is In podcast. “I’ve heard that they’re not in love with Joey Bosa. I don’t think Joey Bosa is going to be a Cowboy.”"
If the Cowboys were to select a quarterback with that choice, I don’t care who the quarterback is, none of them should be selected by the Cowboys that early with how their defense is currently built. There were also rumors of the Cowboys looking at Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with that fourth choice, but that seems doubtful now with the addition of free agent running back Alfred Morris, formerly of the Washington Redskins.
With that said, my opinion is simple and clear … If the Cowboys don’t select a defensive player to give them what should be a long-term solution at either defensive end, linebacker or cornerback, they would be very foolish and put the franchise behind in the NFC East.
Back to Jack … according to Kyle Bonagura of ESPN.com, he quoted Jack speaking about his overall health at a pro day as he tore his meniscus this past season with the Bruins:
"“It wasn’t where I wanted to be, but I definitely wanted to showcase there is nothing wrong with the knee,” Jack said. “I just have to get my conditioning up and get back into the flow and really get back into football shape.”"
Keep an eye on Jack, as he has a workout at UCLA for folks in the NFL on April 1. On that day, we’ll see where his speed is, as he’ll run a 40-yard dash.
I truly believe that, since the Cowboys’ defense overall finished with a 16th ranking in points allowed last season (23.4), 17th in total yards allowed (347.9) and 23rd in rushing yards allowed (120.9 per game). The Cowboys were ranked fifth in passing yards allowed (227.0 per game), but again, teams had their way with the Cowboys at times last year, and though they had no favors thrown their way by their offense, the defense just didn’t produce like the team needed them to, even if they were on the field more than they should have been.
Offenses converted 81 times on third down (208 chances) and were 50 percent on fourth down at 5-of-10. Teams averaged 5.6 yards per play against the Dallas defense, which was nowhere close to the famed Doomsday defenses of years gone by, and teams averaged 7.6 yards per pass against them as well. The Cowboys allowed 41 touchdowns, 16 from rushing scores, and allowed an average time of possession of 29:08 per game.
That being said, those numbers need to get better … no, they have to improve because teams in the NFC like the Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles will have to eventually be defeated somehow if “America’s Team” ever wants to get back to the Super Bowl, a drought that reached the 20-year mark this past January.
In that time frame, the Cowboys have under three playoff wins since the days of “The Triplets,” and getting back to this draft, if Dallas ever wants to get back to the success of their past and add a record sixth Super Bowl championship to their trophy case, they’d better add to their defense in this draft, especially with that fourth overall selection.
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Though it may be a mystery right now, by the time Thursday, April 28 around 8:30-9 p.m. ET arrives, the mystery will be solved, and I for one hope for the sake of the Cowboys they not only find a defensive player of their liking, but one who can also make an immediate impact from Day 1.
That’s said because the window of opportunity with at least two of the best to ever wear the famed star on their helmet (Tony Romo and Jason Witten) is closer to closing than staying open, and it would be a shame if those two never had a chance to play for a Super Bowl championship.