Representing the Dallas Cowboys, Iamthegreatest with the No. 14 pick in the Arrowhead Pride 2012 NFL mock draft...
To me the Cowboys are a talented team, not talented enough to where I'm going to pull a Chris Berman and pick them to face the Chargers in Super Bowl XLVII; yeah I'm not going to do that. Although with impact players I think the Cowboys could contend in the talented NFC East.
The offense was plagued by injuries to Miles Austin, Felix Jones and Demarco Murray. To me the offense isn't a real issue in terms of weapons even with the loss of Laurent Robinson. Center Phil Costa was pretty darn bad last year, but has the talent to be a lot better. The Cowboys have added guards Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings giving the Cowboys depth on the interior line they desperately needed.
I think the problem lies on the defensive side of the ball. Near the end of the year it never seemed like a problem for the Cowboys to score points but rather it was problem of being scored upon. I am one who thinks that the Cowboys linebackers could be even better with a younger fierce set of defensive line. Demarcus Ware is a monster, and the franchised Anthony Spencer is no slouch himself. Sean Lee was the only ILB worth mentioning last year, but the signing of Dan Connor makes Lee even better. The secondary had major holes, and with the additions of Brandon Carr and Brondey Pool and subtractions of Terrance Newman and Alan Ball they look a little better. Secondary could very well be a targeted position still but I am one who thinks that can be upgraded in the second round.
So now that I am done with my little recap of the Cowboys personnel, here is the pick: With the 14th pick in the 2012 NFL Draft the Dallas Cowboys select Quinton Coples DE North Carolina.
I could not resist this pick, this guy is a monster. Weighing in at 6'6 286 pounds he has the versatility to play inside and out on the line along with the experience. Coples would be able to find a starting spot very quickly. The defensive line for the cowboys only got to the quarterback 8 times and 4.5 of them coming from Jason Hatcher. Coples represents an upgrade over Kenyon Coleman with his ability to rush the passer and play the run. The Cowboys could go Dre Kirkpatrick or Luke Kuechly but with the secondary options in the second round and Dan Connor being brought in, Coples represents the best possible scenario.
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Previously (with approval results)...
1. Indianapolis Colts - Baylor QB Robert Griffin III (42%)
2. Washington Redskins - Stanford QB Andrew Luck (72%)
3. Minnesota Vikings - USC OT Matt Kalil (89%)
4. Cleveland Browns - Alabama RB Trent Richardson (70%)
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - LSU CB Morris Claiborne (84%)
6. St. Louis Rams - Oklahoma State WR Justin Blackmon (91%)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Stanford G David DeCastro (33%)
8. Miami Dolphins - Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill (73%)
9. Carolina Panthers - South Carolina LB/DE Melvin Ingram (Forgot to do a poll)
10. Buffalo Bills - Stanford OT Jonathan Martin (73%)
11. Kansas City Chiefs - LSU DT Michael Brockers (35%)
12. Seattle Seahawks - Boston College LB Luke Kuechly (66%)
13. Arizona Cardinals - Iowa T Riley Reiff (88%)
14. Dallas Cowboys - DE North Carolina DE Quinton Coples