Pro Football Draft Network | 2012 Pro Football Draft Analysis

1^st Round (#6) CB Morris Claiborne, LSU

3^rd Round (# 81) DE Tyrone Crawford, Boise State

4th Round (#113) OLB Kyle Wilber, Wake Forest

4^th Round (#135) SS Matt Johnson, Eastern Washington

5^th Round (#152) WR Danny Coale, Virginia Tech

6^th Round (#186) TE James Hanna, Oklahoma

7^th Round (#222) ILB Caleb McSurdy, Montana

Analysis of Notable Selections:

Morris Claiborne: Dallas surprised most by trading their 1^st and 2^nd round picks to the Rams for the 6^th pick overall.  Claiborne has the ability, work ethic and maturity to be one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL with some experience.  His ability to play the ball in the air is elite.  The Cowboys paid top dollar for Brandon Carr who is really a good number two cornerback.  Claiborne provides Dallas with a true quality number one cornerback.  The Dallas secondary has been devoid of a playmaker for years and now they have one.  The team’s cornerback situation has gone from a weakness to a major strength in one off-season.  This was a bold trade by the Cowboys that should pay-off.

Tyrone Crawford: The defensive end play has been fairly average for the Cowboys the past couple of seasons.  Crawford has to add size and strength to grow into a 3-4 defensive end.  However, he has the motor that Dallas wishes Marcus Spears had.  Crawford was a productive player at Boise State and found the football.  It may take Tyrone Crawford a couple of seasons to develop, but he could be a solid starter.

Kyle Wilber: Dallas has not had the pass rushing complement to DeMarcus Ware at outside linebacker that it needs.  Anthony Spencer defends the run well, but is an average pass rusher.  Wilber played defensive end and outside linebacker at Wake Forest.  He had solid production, but was not dominant.  Wilber is a sound technician and plays hard, but does not have the quickness or burst of a top pass rusher.  He can provide quality depth and contribute strongly on special teams.

Matt Johnson: The Cowboys certainly could use a strong safety that can make plays on the ball and tackle well.  Johnson was dominant at Eastern Washington with a knack for creating turnovers (17 career interceptions and 6 forced fumbles).  He apparently impressed Dallas with his football IQ and athleticism during a visit.   Dallas needs a pick like this to pan out if they hope to start winning playoff games.  Big D thought they might have found a small-school sleeper at safety when they drafted Akwasi Owusu-Ansah in the 4^th round of the 2010 NFL draft.  Jerry Jones stated how quickly AOA grasped their defense during a pre-draft visit.  His athleticism as a kick returner was praised.  However, the NFL proved to be too fast for AOA who was released in 2011.  Matt Johnson faces a steep step-up in competition.  Whether he can make the transition to pro football is a huge question mark.  Dallas passed on Alabama’s tough nose tackle, Josh Chapman.  They might have made a mistake taking a flyer on Johnson over the more battle-tested Chapman.  Safety is a bigger need for Dallas than nose tackle.  However, you can never have too many good football players on a team regardless of position.

Danny Coale: Laurent Robinson left via free agency and the Cowboys needed a 3^rd receiver.  Coale has average speed, quickness and size.  He also is not an explosive punt returner.  His timed speed (4.44 Forty) does not translate to the field.  Coale is tough and can make some difficult catches.  However, nothing in his collegiate career indicates that he will be more than just a pedestrian possession receiver in the NFL.  Dallas passed on Juron Criner who is bigger and a much better red zone target than Coale will be.  Criner’s speed knocked him down in the draft, but his effectiveness in the red zone (32 career touchdowns versus 8 for Coale) is hard to ignore. 

2012 NFL Draft Grade: B

Bottom Line: The Cowboys made a big splash in the 1^st round by moving up to select Claiborne.  If a team has a chance to add a potential multiple-Pro Bowl player at a premium position then they should do it.  However, Dallas may come out of this draft with only one quality starter and one decent down the road starter (Tyrone Crawford).  The team had better options than Matt Johnson and Danny Coale and passed on them.