2017 Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft: Defensive Focus Early and Often
By Brady Lunt
Recent comments by Dallas Cowboys VP Stephen Jones suggest America’s Team will be focusing on defense early and often throughout the draft.
This off-season has been a harder pill for Dallas Cowboys’ fans to swallow. Several key defenders have departed in free agency, including four starters in the secondary. We’ve seen two strong contributors on the defensive line go elsewhere and even starting guard Ron Leary. While it may seem like a time to panic, recent comments by Stephen Jones may suggest otherwise.
Based on a report by David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, Cowboys’ VP Stephen Jones stated “There is a little bit of method to the madness there.” While Dallas undoubtedly wanted to keep as many of their free agents as possible, they knew it was unrealistic. They weren’t going to overpay for any of them, even though some of those contracts appeared somewhat reasonable. They knew they wouldn’t be able to keep them all and created a plan to avoid as much negative effect as possible. Lucky for them, the 2017 NFL Draft is deep on defense, particularly on the defensive line and in the secondary.
Jones’ continued comments show the draft is now the emphasis, “There’s no question, we think some of the best depth in the draft is the defensive line and the secondary, in our view.” He continued, “Now let me be real clear. If a great offensive player shows up, that’s of great value to us, that doesn’t mean we aren’t going to pick an offensive player. But our focus is on defense.”