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The man originally in charge of making this pick, astrosbro95, went AWOL, so I turned to the one friend I have who claims to be a Cowboys fan. While I can confirm my buddy Ted is not a bandwagoner, the record should reflect that he's not enough of a Cowboys fan to actually wear their colors, logo, or a single shred of their gear when he visited Heinz Field for Cowboys-Steelers a few years ago. Whether that's a testament to the notion that Ted can still be saved or incontrovertible evidence that he is not truly a fan is not for me to say. Regardless, he was kind enough to pitch-hit for us here. The floor is his.
With the 18th pick of the 2013 BRB Mock Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Jonathan Cooper (Guard--North Carolina).
The Cowboys need to upgrade the talent and depth of their offensive line (guard and right tackle). It is widely known Nate Livings and Mackenzy Bernadeau utterly failed to establish themselves as reliable personnel in the interior of the line. Tony Romo must get improved interior line play and a more reliable running game, so I put a premium on upgrading a guard slot.
The right tackle must also be upgraded, but I assume in making this pick the Cowboys sign a reliable veteran in free agency (Eric Winston or otherwise) to replace the woefully inadequate Doug Free. With this assumption, I see Dallas targeting a guard in the first round. If Chance Warmack is available, the Cowboys will draft him, but I do not see him slipping to No. 18 in the first round.
I did consider selecting a safety, but I do not see this position as a more pressing need over the offensive line. With the free agent acquisition of Will Allen (former situational starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers) and the return of Barry Church from injury, the Cowboys do not need to spend a first round pick on this position. The organization can address the safety slot in later rounds to add depth and cobble together a reasonably effective secondary (at least more effective than the current state of affairs on the offensive line).
Aside from watching Tim destroy his knee tripping and falling down in a softball game, I cannot recall more wretched displays of athleticism than the guard play of Livings and Bernadeau. This situation must be addressed if the Dallas Cowboys intend to break through offensively and escape the mediocrity plaguing the organization since the Clinton Administration.
A well reasoned, shrewd, and excellent pick. Yet it ain't sexy, and Jerruh Jones don't do unsexy. While Cooper is a no-brainer for Dallas if he's on the board come April 25th, I find it hard to believe that Jerruh would make the smart football decision here. UprootedTexan and the New York Giants are on the clock.
Recapping...
1. Kansas City Chiefs--Luke Joeckel (OT--Texas A&M)
2. Jacksonville Jaguars--Eric Fisher (OT--Central Michigan)
3. Oakland Raiders--Sharrif Floyd (DT--Florida)
4. Philadelphia Eagles--Dee Milliner (CB--Alabama)
5. Detroit Lions--Jarvis Jones (LB--Georgia)
6. Cleveland Browns--Keenan Allen (WR--Cal)
7. Arizona Cardinals--Chance Warmack (OG--Alabama)
8. Buffalo Bills--Geno Smith (QB--West Virginia)
9. New York Jets--Dion Jordan (DE/OLB--Oregon)
10. Tennessee Titans--Ezekial Ansah (DE--BYU)
11. San Diego Chargers--Lane Johnson (OT--Oklahoma)
12. Miami Dolphins--Barkevious Mingo (DE/OLB--LSU)
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers--Tavon Austin (WR--West Virginia)
14. Carolina Panthers--Star Lotulelei (DT--Utah)
15. New Orleans Saints--Sheldon Richardson (DT--Missouri)
16. St. Louis Rams--DeAndre Hopkins (WR--Clemson)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers--Cordarrelle Patterson (WR--Tennessee)
18. Dallas Cowboys--Jonathan Cooper (G--North Carolina)
19. New York Giants--UprootedTexan
20. Chicago Bears--RedWhitePaws
21. Cincinnati Bengals--McKnight299
22. St. Louis Rams--gm.in.waiting
23. Minnesota Vikings--The Night Owl
24. Indianapolis Colts--ckone
25. Minnesota Vikings--The Night Owl
26. Green Bay Packers--krkenney
27. Houston Texans--BRB Staff
28. Denver Broncos--Capt Ron
29. New England Patriots--MaloneyPony
30. Atlanta Falcons--riversmccown
31. San Francisco 49ers--TexansDC
32. Baltimore Ravens--Cougfan