The Cowboys took 23-year old OLB Bruce Carter out of North Carolina with the 40th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Carter is 6’3″, 235 pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  Carter is not a very physical played but he is solid in pass coverage and he beat a tackle around the corner if called upon to blitz.  Carter played in 11 games (10 starts) for North Carolina last year and he had 57 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 2 passes broken up and he had 1 interception.  Carter played in 48 games (43 starts) in his four years with the Tar Heels and he had 215 tackles, 24 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, broke up 9 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Carter had surgery last December to repair a torn ACL, and the Cowboys hope he recovers well, as his speed is his best asset.

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.

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+

The Cowboys have lost 22-year old rookie WR Dez Bryant for the rest of the year due to a fractured right ankle.  Bryant played in 12 games for the Cowboys this year and he caught 45 passes for 561 yards (12.5 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  He also returned 15 punts for 215 yards (14.3 avg) with 2 TD returns and he also returned 12 kickoffs for 293 yards (24.4 avg) this year.  New head coach Jason Garrett says that Bryant is too valuable to be returning kickoffs and punts so look for the Cowboys to use him on offense full-time in 2011.

The Cowboys have placed rookie DT Sean Lissemore on the Injured Reserve List with a high left ankle sprain.  Lissemore played in 2 games for the Cowboys this season and he had 3 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  The Cowboys got tired of waiting for Lissemore to get healthy enough to play.

21-year old rookie WR Dez Bryant is really starting to look like he’s going to be a big impact player for the Cowboys.  He has played in all six games for the Cowboys so far this year and he has caught 22 passes for 265 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Bryant has also returned 11 punts for 186 yards (16.9 avg) with 2 TD returns and 2 kickoffs for 25 yards (12.5 avg) so far this year.  So Bryant has already touched the football 35 times for 476 yards (13.6 avg per touch) so far this year.  The sky is the limit for Bryant as I see him being the #1 WR on this team by the time the 2011 season starts.

The Cowboys drafted DT Joshua Price-Brent in the 7th round of the supplemental draft.  He played in 12 games (all starts) for Illinois last season and he had 29 tackles, 7 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks and he forced 3 fumbles.  Price-Brent is a huge guy at 6’2″, 321 pounds and he has a huge upside if he can keep his head on straight.  He was academically inelgible for the 2010 season which is the main reason he made himself available for this draft.  He also spent 30 days in jail in 2009 for a DUI conviction that year. 

The Cowboys have picked DT Sean Lissemore with the 234th overall pick in the NFL Draft (7th round) out of William & Mary.  Lissemore is a tad small at 6’4″, 286 pounds and he wasn’t very productive in college.  He had 16 tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions in his 3 year college career.  This was a incredible reach by the Cowboys as I will be shocked if he ever appears in a regular season game for them.

The Cowboys have picked CB Jamar Wall out of Texas Tech with the 196th overall pick (6th round) of the NFL Draft.  Wall doesn’t have the speed 4.55 40 to play much man to man defense.  But he is very capable as a zone corner and he is a good overall pass defender.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for Texas Tech last season in which he had 58 tackles, he broke up 15 passes, had 2 interceptions, forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  In his four years with the Red Raiders, Wall played in 50 games (38 starts) in which he finished up with 180 tackles, he broke up 32 passes, had 9 interceptions, forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 1 fumble.  Wall will help out with depth in the secondary for the Cowboys and likely also on special teams.