The Dallas Cowboys selected 20-year old OT Tyron Smith out of USC with the 9th overall pick of the first round of the NFL Draft.  Smith is a converted TE who is still learning the ropes at OT, but he has a huge upside.  Smith is 6’5″, 290 pounds and he’s a really good athlete as he can handle speed rushers.  The Cowboys need him to add a little weight to his frame as he sometimes appears to have a hard time maintaining his weight.  This was a good pick for the Cowboys as Smith should be a starter for a long time on the O-Line.

The Dallas Cowboys are likely going to draft the best player available next weekend with an eye towards both 2011 and the future.  Here is who I saw the Cowboys nabbing in my mock draft”

1st round (#9 overall) – Cameron Jordan, DE, California

2nd round (#40 overall) – Ryan Mallet, QB, Arkansas

3rd round (#71 overall) – Curtis Brown, CB, Texas

4th round (#110 overall) – Ross Holman, OLB, Ohio State

5th round (#143 overall) – Lee Ziemba, OT, Auburn

6th round (#176 overall) – Cedric Thornton, DT, Central Arkansas

7th round (#220 overall) – Shiloh Keo, S, Idaho

7th round (#252 overall) – Kyle Adams, TE, Purdue

Cameron Jordan and Curtis Brown would be able to help the Cowboys right away in 2011.  Ryan Mallet would be too tempting for Jerry Jones if he’s still on the board.  That’s because they both went to Arkansas and the Cowboys might not believe in Stephen McGee as the QB of the future.

Using a three-headed running back is like using a closer by committee in baseball…..it’s just doesn’t work.  The Cowboys need to decide on building the offense around one of the three guys that finished last season on the roster, or they need to draft a RB or sign a free agent that can handle most of the load.  23-year old Felix Jones is Jerry Jones’ boy because they both went to Arkansas.  He has the highest upside of any back on the roster but he gets dinged up a lot.  Jones played in 16 games for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 185 times for 800 yards (4.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Jones also caught 48 passes for 450 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab as he does have a nice set of hands to go with his game breaking speed.  Jones has now played in 36 games in his first three years with the Cowboys and he has carried the ball 331 times for 1,751 yards (5.3 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He has also caught 69 passes for 579 yards (8.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Jones has the highest upside of the backs on the roster, but can he handle the pounding of a full workload?  I’m not so sure about that.

27-year old Marion Barber looked punch drunk last season from the pounding he has taken in his first six years in the NFL.  Barber played in 13 games for the Cowboys last year in which he carried the ball 113 times for 374 yards (3.3 ypc) with 4 TD carries.  He also caught 11 passes for 49 yards (4.5 avg) last year.  Barber has now played in 88 games in his first six years with the Cowboys and he has carried the ball 1,042 times for 4,358 yards (4.2 ypc) with 47 TD runs.  He also has caught 174 passes for 1,280 yards (7.4 avg) with 6 TD grabs with the Cowboys.  I have a feeling that his time is coming near an end for the Cowboys.

26-year old Tashard Choice might be the best overall back on the Cowboys but he hasn’t gotten much of a chance to prove it.  Choice played in 16 games for the Cowboys last year and he carried the ball 66 times for 243 yards (3.7 ypc) with 3 TD runs and he has also caught 17 passes for 109 yards (6.4 avg).  Choice has played in 48 games in his first three years with the Cowboys and he has carried the ball 222 times for 1,064 yards (4.8 ypc) with 8 TD carries.  He also has caught 53 passes for 426 yards (8.0 avg) in his first three years with the Cowboys.  He needs to have a bigger role with the Cowboys in 2011.

The Cowboys finally had a solid all-around draft for the first time in a while last April.   Here’s a look at how the rookie class did in 2010:

Dez Bryant:  The Cowboys picked WR Dez Bryant in the first round (#24 overall) out of Oklahoma State.  Bryant played in 12 games (2 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he caught 45 passes for 561 yards (12.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also returned 12 kickoffs for 293 yards (24.4 avg) and 15 punts for 215 yards (14.3 avg) with 2 TD returns.  Bryant is quite a bit immature and his season ended with a injury, but no one questions Bryant’s upside, which is HUGE!

Sean Lee:  The Cowboys took inside linebacker Sean Lee in the 2nd round (#55 overall) out of Penn State last April.  Lee played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he had 32 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 passes defensed, 2 interceptions (0ne returned for a TD) and he forced 1 fumble.  The Cowboys need Lee to get tougher against the run.

Akwasi Owusu-Ansah:  The Cowboys used the #126 overall pick (4th round) on safety Akwasi  Owusu-Ansah out of Indiana (Pa).  Owusu-Ansah played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he had 1 tackle.  But, he was solid on special teams as he returned 25 kickoffs for 543 yards (21.7 avg) last year before his season ended due to injury.

Sam Young:  The Cowboys took OT Sam Young in the 6th round (#179 overall) out of Notre Dame.  He played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year.  He looks like a developmental project as he has a ways to go before he can be counted on.

Jamar Wall:  CB Jamar Wall came to the Cowboys in the 6th round (#196 overall) out of Texas Tech.  Wall didn’t last long with the Cowboys as he was cut in Training Camp.  He played 1 game each for the Texans and Eagles and he had 1 tackle last year.

Sean Lissemore:  The Cowboys used the #234 overall pick (7th round) on DT Sean Lissemore out of William & Mary.  Lissemore played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Cowboys last year and he had 3 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  He will likely win a job as a backup for the Cowboys in 2011 as he looked solid before an injury ended his season.

GRADE FOR 2010:  B

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B+