NightHawkTH32
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2017 Draft Recap
The Dallas Cowboys came in to the 2017 Px1 Draft looking to fill some voids on offense and to strengthen their defensive secondary. After an 8-8 record, the Cowboys received the 17th pick in the first round and would have 7 picks total in the draft, with no 5th round pick, but with 2 7th round selections. With Dak Prescott due to take over full time QB responsibilities, management wanted to provide him with weapons that would make his job easier. Also, management wanted to strengthen the defensive secondary after the departure of J.J. Wilcox and a hole at the CB #2 spot.
1st Round - WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Southern California
In the first round, the Cowboys were targeting corners Desmond King, Teez Tabor and Marlon Humphrey with safety Jamal Adams as a secondary target. When all 4 targets were taken ahead of their pick, the Cowboys turned to a playmaker in Smith-Schuster to replace WR Terrance Williams, who left for San Francisco during Free Agency. Smith-Schuster, the top rated WR in the 2017 draft class, presents the ability to attack the football and make plays opposite side of fellow playmaker Dez Bryant. Smith-Schuster is a big, physical receiver with great hands and good blocking but will need to work on his footwork and non-vertical route running to fulfill his potential. JuJu should give the Cowboys and Dak Prescott an extra weapon on the field for when teams focus on Dez. He will look to start immediately and make an instant impact.
2nd Round - TE Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech
In the second round, the Cowboys once again missed on corners Marshon Lattimore and Sidney Jones so they turned to a position which the needed to fill with the departure of TE Jason Witten to retirement. While is wasn't a top priority for the Cowboys, it was a position that needed to be addressed and was more productive than reaching for a CB. The 6-7, 241 pound tight end will provide speed and big play ability for the offense, which is slowly evolving into a athletic offense with Dak at QB and the explosive Ezekiel Elliott at RB. Hodges possesses a great football mind, being a former QB before transitioning to TE his freshman season at VT. He is a raw talent with tons of upside but will need to work on his route running and in-line blocking at the next level.
3rd Round - FS Marcus Williams, Utah
In the 3rd round of the Px1 Draft, the Cowboys went a little bit outside of their gameplan and took the best available player left in the draft, a second round projected player Marcus Williams. While the Cowboys didn't need to address the free safety position, this pick gives them the flexibility to move some pieces around, one being Byron Jones to corner. Williams is a versatile, athletic safety who provides the ability to impact the run and pass game. Williams provides a big boost in run support, but will need to improve his coverage skills to solidify his game. It will be interesting to see what the front office does with Williams and current FS Byron Jones.
4th Round - SS Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville
In the 4th round, the Cowboys picked a player that they plan on developing for the future in SS Josh Harvey-Clemons from Louisville. Harvey-Clemons will most likely sit behind free agent acquisition Chris Conte until he is ready to take over the position. The former 5-star recruit and Georgia Bulldog, Harvey-Clemons was dismissed by Georgia coach Mark Richt and ended up at Louisville. Harvey-Clemons is part of the new breed of S/LB hybrids along with players like Sua Cravens and Mark Barron. He has the ability to become the next defensive eraser with his ability to use his 6-4 frame to his advantage to shed blocks and close in on the ball. While he is a reliable open field tackler, he lacks stopping power and tends to get dragged for extra yardage. He is an aggressive safety that can be fooled by play action at times. He has the potential to be a game changer.
6th Round - DE Takkarist McKinley, UCLA
In the 6th round, the Cowboys strengthened their defensive rush attack with the addition of DE Takkarist McKinley from UCLA. McKinley is a speed rusher that gets off the ball with fire to take the edge and is equally strong in his run defense with ability to control blockers with his hands and the speed to chase down ball carriers. He has been compared to DeMarcus Ware, but will sometimes attack too high and too wide of the pocket.
7th Round - CB Deatrick Nichols, South Florida
Having not selected a true corner in the draft, the Cowboys took corner Deatrick Nichols from South Florida to add depth to the position.
7th Round - OLB Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh
With their final selection in the 2017 Px1 Draft, the Cowboys selected OLB Ejuan Price from Pitt. Price adds depth to the linebacker core that features Sean Lee and 2nd year man Jaylon Smith.
1st Round - WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, Southern California
In the first round, the Cowboys were targeting corners Desmond King, Teez Tabor and Marlon Humphrey with safety Jamal Adams as a secondary target. When all 4 targets were taken ahead of their pick, the Cowboys turned to a playmaker in Smith-Schuster to replace WR Terrance Williams, who left for San Francisco during Free Agency. Smith-Schuster, the top rated WR in the 2017 draft class, presents the ability to attack the football and make plays opposite side of fellow playmaker Dez Bryant. Smith-Schuster is a big, physical receiver with great hands and good blocking but will need to work on his footwork and non-vertical route running to fulfill his potential. JuJu should give the Cowboys and Dak Prescott an extra weapon on the field for when teams focus on Dez. He will look to start immediately and make an instant impact.
2nd Round - TE Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech
In the second round, the Cowboys once again missed on corners Marshon Lattimore and Sidney Jones so they turned to a position which the needed to fill with the departure of TE Jason Witten to retirement. While is wasn't a top priority for the Cowboys, it was a position that needed to be addressed and was more productive than reaching for a CB. The 6-7, 241 pound tight end will provide speed and big play ability for the offense, which is slowly evolving into a athletic offense with Dak at QB and the explosive Ezekiel Elliott at RB. Hodges possesses a great football mind, being a former QB before transitioning to TE his freshman season at VT. He is a raw talent with tons of upside but will need to work on his route running and in-line blocking at the next level.
3rd Round - FS Marcus Williams, Utah
In the 3rd round of the Px1 Draft, the Cowboys went a little bit outside of their gameplan and took the best available player left in the draft, a second round projected player Marcus Williams. While the Cowboys didn't need to address the free safety position, this pick gives them the flexibility to move some pieces around, one being Byron Jones to corner. Williams is a versatile, athletic safety who provides the ability to impact the run and pass game. Williams provides a big boost in run support, but will need to improve his coverage skills to solidify his game. It will be interesting to see what the front office does with Williams and current FS Byron Jones.
4th Round - SS Josh Harvey-Clemons, Louisville
In the 4th round, the Cowboys picked a player that they plan on developing for the future in SS Josh Harvey-Clemons from Louisville. Harvey-Clemons will most likely sit behind free agent acquisition Chris Conte until he is ready to take over the position. The former 5-star recruit and Georgia Bulldog, Harvey-Clemons was dismissed by Georgia coach Mark Richt and ended up at Louisville. Harvey-Clemons is part of the new breed of S/LB hybrids along with players like Sua Cravens and Mark Barron. He has the ability to become the next defensive eraser with his ability to use his 6-4 frame to his advantage to shed blocks and close in on the ball. While he is a reliable open field tackler, he lacks stopping power and tends to get dragged for extra yardage. He is an aggressive safety that can be fooled by play action at times. He has the potential to be a game changer.
6th Round - DE Takkarist McKinley, UCLA
In the 6th round, the Cowboys strengthened their defensive rush attack with the addition of DE Takkarist McKinley from UCLA. McKinley is a speed rusher that gets off the ball with fire to take the edge and is equally strong in his run defense with ability to control blockers with his hands and the speed to chase down ball carriers. He has been compared to DeMarcus Ware, but will sometimes attack too high and too wide of the pocket.
7th Round - CB Deatrick Nichols, South Florida
Having not selected a true corner in the draft, the Cowboys took corner Deatrick Nichols from South Florida to add depth to the position.
7th Round - OLB Ejuan Price, Pittsburgh
With their final selection in the 2017 Px1 Draft, the Cowboys selected OLB Ejuan Price from Pitt. Price adds depth to the linebacker core that features Sean Lee and 2nd year man Jaylon Smith.