The Dallas Cowboys are coming into the draft with a number of options at their disposal and they could be a team that pulls off a trade to move up to grab someone like Johnny Manziel if he falls out of the top five or 10, while names like Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, Timmy Jernigan and Lamarcus Joyner are all drat targets after visiting with the team and Jerry Jones at Valley Ranch.
The Cowboys have a number of areas to address in the draft this year and Jones in the past has not been afraid to make a trade up or down when he sees it's necessary. The team did that last season and they moved up to get Morris Claiborne and while it doesn't seem likely, ESPN.com proposes that if Johnny Manziel somehow manages to slip out of the top 10, Jones could move up to take him. According to Calvin Watkins, while this move is very unlikely to happen, Jones would love having the Texas A&M star in Dallas and he could be a future option for Tony Romo.
Romo just signed a massive extension and his starting job is not in any trouble after the team signed Brandon Weeden, but like the NY Giants, the team does not have a real succession plan for their 30-something quarterback. Romo has been relatively healthy compared to other quarterbacks, but he takes hits and he missed time last season and the Cowboys may start looking at his backup more seriously as a future player to develop. This year has a deep roster of quarterbacks in the draft and even without a move for Manziel, it could be an area the cowboys focus on.
According to ESPN.com, the Cowboys have been hosting a number of players this offseason ahead of the draft and names like Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, Timmy Jernigan and Jimmie Ward all could be in the mix when the team picks in the middle of the first round. Jernigan and Donald have been mentioned as two players the Cowboys could pick, while Barr is a potential top 10 pick but could slip to the Cowboys. Donald has been talked about as a very solid option, while Jernigan would fit the scheme for the Cowboys.
This year the draft class starts with Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles and while those players will be out of reach, there are plenty more to choose from. Derek Carr and David Fales were two of the most productive quarterbacks in college last season, while names like Zach Mettenberger, AJ McCarron, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tajh Boyd and Aaron Murray also could be available in the later rounds.
Dallas comes into the draft after going 8-8 again last season and while there are some nice offensive players this year in the draft class, the team could go for someone on defense after struggling hard on that side of the ball last year.
