Dallas Cowboys: The Case For Drafting Carl Davis

Nov 1, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver Miles Shuler (5) runs against Iowa Hawkeyes defensive lineman Carl Davis (71) during the game at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

With less than two weeks until the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft, I’m still in the camp for the Dallas Cowboys to draft the best available cornerback with the 27th overall pick, but in the second round, I want them to stay on the defensive side, possibly focusing on the defensive line.

With the current state of the Cowboys’ offensive line, they can wait until the third round to select a running back and end up being pleased with the production from that choice as early as this upcoming season.

Now as for the second round of this draft, that’s where the Cowboys should focus on their defensive line, and one player they can look at is Carl Davis of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Dec 22, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Domata Peko (94) reacts to a defensive stop in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 37-28. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

There is one big reason the Cowboys should target Davis and that is his NFL comparison, Domata Peko of the Cincinnati Bengals, as Peko is one of the better defensive tackles in the NFL.

"“Like Peko, Davis is ideally suited as a one-technique tackle with the power to handle double-teams and the quickness to penetrate the backfield or make plays away from the line of scrimmage.”"

Peko had 47 tackles and one sack with the Bengals in 2014, his ninth NFL season.

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Being he’s the 51st overall ranked prospect in the draft by CBSSports.com, Davis (who is 6-5, 320 pounds) is a reliable player who played in all 13 games his senior season at Iowa, finishing with nine tackles for loss (36 total tackles). He also sacked the opposing quarterback twice in 2014.

Davis, during his junior season with the Hawkeyes totaled 42 tackles (four for a loss) and 1.5 sacks. For his career, Davis tallied 94 total tackles (31 solo) with 14.5 of those tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com says the Cowboys haven’t had a defensive tackle like Davis in a long time:

"“The Cowboys haven’t had a one-technique defensive tackle with as much talent as Davis in a few years, especially since they moved to the 4-3 defense. Davis can not only plug the middle but has ability to rush the passer and push the pocket.”"

Here is some film of Davis in a game against Iowa State from this past season. To be honest, I never realized Davis was as dominant as his film shows at times last season.

Sports Illustrated has Davis ranked as the 46th overall prospect, writing the following in their preview of the defensive tackle (no author named):

"“When he is locked in, Davis can be as disruptive as just about any defensive lineman in this draft.”"

The Cowboys would be smart to look at Davis in the second round, but he could be already off the board as some mock drafts have Davis being drafted in the late first round.

If Davis is somehow available in the second and the Cowboys have some type of opportunity to draft him (possibly via trading up in the second round), they should really consider adding him to their defensive line.

As we all know and have seen with our own eyes, the Cowboys need to add to their defensive line in this draft if they want to continue on the path they began in 2014, a season where they were NFC East champions and won a playoff game.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: Could Jesse James be a project player?

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