March Madness: Dallas Cowboys Draft Pick Style (Elite Eight)

In the Sweet 16 of our Cowboys draft pick tournament, the field of was narrowed to just eight potential selections. A few of the surprises from our first round were:

• 13 seed USF safety Nate Allen upsetting 4 seed Rutgers offensive tackle Anthony Davis. Allen has been soaring up boards and is now a realistic possibility for Dallas at pick #27.

• 11 seed Boise State CB Kyle Wilson taking down 6 seed Texas safety Earl Thomas. Wilson simply has a better chance of being available in the back of the first round.

• 14 seed Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham overtaking 3 seed Maryland OT Bruce Campbell. Graham is the “Cinderella story” of this tourney.

Remember, match-up “winners” are not necessarily the best choice for Dallas, but those which we consider most likely among the two.

Elite Eight

Taylor Mays is a possibility for Dallas, but much less likely than Mike Iupati.

1 Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

vs.

8 Taylor Mays, S, USC

• Iupati blew by UCLA DT Brian Price in his first match-up, and he does the same to Taylor Mays here. Iupati fills a need for Dallas, while Mays simply does not fit the Cowboys’ scheme. Will anyone be able to take down Iupati?

• Winner: Mike Iupati

5 Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida

vs.

13 Nate Allen, S, USF

• Pouncey is a slightly under-the-radar player that many scouts believe could get selected before Iupati. There is a chance Pouncey is off the board for Dallas. If he does fall to the 27th selection, he constitutes good value, while Allen probably does not.

• Winner: Maurkice Pouncey

11 Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

vs.

14 Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan

• It is extremely difficult to determine a winner for this match-up. We like both players as sleepers for the Cowboys. Wilson would greatly enhance Dallas’ return game, while Graham is a player with whom coach Wade Phillips will likely fall in love. Our winner is the player we see as having a more immediate impact.
  

  Are the #2 seed Odrick and the #1 seed Iupati on a collision course?

• Winner: Kyle Wilson

7 Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

vs.

2 Jared Odrick, DT/DE, Penn State

• Is it really possible that Bryant drops all the way down to the back of the first round? Probably not, but it would be very difficult for Jerry Jones to pass him up if he does. Odrick may or may not be the selection if he is still on the board, but he has a much higher probability of being available.

• Winner: Jared Odrick

There you have it–a sweep for the top-seeded players. In part III of the series, we will detail the Final Four match-up, listed below.

Final Four

1 Mike Iupati, G, Idaho

vs

5 Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida

11 Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State

vs.

2 Jared Odrick, DT/DE, Penn State

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