The Dallas Cowboys have made a few notable moves in free agency, but their core needs on defense - linebacker and safety - remain.
Dallas plans to address one of these needs in the first round of the NFL Draft and is targeting both Georgia LB Roquan Smith and Florida State safety Derwin James.
Of course, both players are projected to be off the board by the time the Cowboys pick at No. 19. Could they trade up to take one of those star players? K.D. Drummond of Cowboys Wire thinks they could do just that.
Roquan Smith, linebacker out of Georgia appears to be an All-World prospect. There’s a need there, with questions around the health of Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith. The Cowboys don’t have a glaring need at safety, but it’s certainly a position which could be upgraded. So what happens if Florida State’s do-everything guy Derwin James makes it out of the top 10?
In our latest 7-round mock draft, run on Fanspeak’s On The Clock simulator, we ran into this scenario. Miami took the fifth QB in the first 11 picks, thwarting Buffalo at No. 12. The Bills, desperate for an offensive lineman, liked the value later in the round and were willing trade partners for the Cowboys. We took the offer...
The Cowboys took James, who had 84 tackles with 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups last season, with the No. 12 pick in that mock draft.
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Smith had 137 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for the Bulldogs last year.
Chat Sports has Smith going to the Miami Dolphins with the No. 11 pick, but we also project the Cowboys will trade up to draft James with the No. 15 pick in our latest mock draft.
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