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| Stephon Gilmore |
Cowboys Nation: Let's say the Cowboys want to leave day one, and I still refer to the first three rounds of the draft as day one, with a pass rusher, a guard and a cornerback. If they draft according to your current mock, and land David DeCastro at 14, give me a cornerback for round two and a pass rusher for round three:
Wes Bunting: I would say at corner for two, that could mean Chase Minnifield. That could mean Jamell Fleming, that could be Stephon Gilmore, from South Carolina.
If you're looking for a pass rusher at three, that could be Cam Johnson from Virginia, who I like. That could be Shea McClellin from Boise State. I like both of those players. I think they could fit. Maybe Brandon Lindsey from Pittsburgh. I'm not a big fan, but most people have him as a 3rd round pass rusher.
CN: Let's slide everybody around a spot. Move corner to 1st, the pass rusher to 2nd and the guard to the 3rd round:
WB: First round corner? You're looking at Alfonzo Dennard. Maybe Gilmore if he has strong workouts. I would say Dennard. Maybe Dre Kirkpatrick, if you're willing to move up and get him. He would definitely fit. He reminds me a bit of Quentin Jammer.
2nd round pass rushers? Maybe you're looking at Bruce Irvin there, if you get lucky. It's not a great pass rushing class.
3rd round guard? Maybe Cordy Glenn, if he's still around, but I'm doubtful he'll be there. That's more [Kevin] Zeitler range from Wisconsin. That's [Lucas] Nix range, from Pittsburgh. Those two would probably be in play in the 3rd round.
CN: You didn't mention Janoris Jenkins in the 1st round. And you didn't talk about him in the 2nd round either. Do you view him as a late 1st, who falls between the Cowboys' picks?
WB: Yeah. He might be there in the 2nd. I don't think he's a first-round guy, and this is just something I have. I'm always adapting and trying to make myself better. And the research I've done and the ways I've put myself in trouble rating corners is I really like these smaller guys, and a 6'2'' good is a lot better than a 6'0'' good, which is a lot better than a 5'9'' good.
With Janoris Jenkins, he's about 175, he's got character concerns, and he's 5'9''. I know he's played well, but he's going to have some difficulty matching up to tall, physical receivers in the NFL and I've kind of dropped him down my board a bit, because I've made too many mistakes with these fluid, quick-hipped corners who are undersized, because they get to the NFL and you need to be 5'11'', 6'0'' to match up with these bigger guys.
CN: Any chance that a Dre Kirkpatrick falls out of the top 10?
WB: I would have a tough time seeing it, unless he goes the combine and runs close to 4.60. There are not a lot of top-level corners in this draft, though I think it's a good class, and you can never have enough corners. It sounds like a cliche, but if you don't get the quarterback you want and you don't pick an offensive tackle, let's just go the safe route and get a corner who can come in an play for a while. That's what Kirkpatrick can do.
CN: Now, 1st round rusher, 2nd round guard, 3rd round cornerback.
WB: 1st round rusher, I'll say Melvin Ingram, if he's there. I'd say Upshaw, if he's there. Those are the two guys I would say you could consider.
2nd round guard, I'd say Osemele. You're looking at Cordy Glenn.
3rd round corner, I'd say Leonard Johnson, from Iowa State. Maybe Jamell Fleming, if he fell for some reason, and Jayron Hosley, from Virginia Tech. I know he got a 1st-2nd round grade from the NFL Advisory Committee. I still think that's way too high, and you could see him in the 3rd round. He's more of a nickel guy only. Those are three solid corners to look at the in 3rd round.
The big kid from Montana, Trumaine Johnson will probably be there as well.
Tomorrow: More prospects and an overall assessment of the draft.
