What the Cowboys need

Drafty

The NFL Draft is coming along and the Dallas Cowboys have like 21 picks in like the last two rounds (an exaggeration, kinda).

They do have 11 picks (I think) but no first rounders.

It's tiresome to roll through early mock drafts, mainly because not a lot get into the second round and, frankly, I'm not going to know a second-round inside linebacker from Adam.

But what I do know is what the Cowboys need: A lot.

Say it once, and I'll say it again: Draft picks are important and not only because of the salary cap in the NFL, but also in today's NFL you can no longer live with a good starting cast and spare back-ups.

On the defensive line, you've got to be five or six deep with quality guys. You need at least two good running backs. You need three good receivers. At least four deep at cornerback. And from all indications, a back-up quarterback that can win you a game.

You don't need draft picks to survive in the salary-cap NFL as much as you would 25 years ago when there was no salary cap.

Points of Cowboy attention this draft day:

Quarterback
In three years, are we still in love with Tony Romo if there's still not a playoff win? (Hell, some Cowboys fans can't stand him now!) I can not be convinced that he will be the field general in two, three, four or five years. Many think the Cowboys need a back-up quarterback for those times when Romo breaks a finger or something. I think they need to start looking ahead. The problem with the era between Troy Aikman and Romo wasn't that they made too many poor decisions, personnel-wise, but because they waited too long. The Cowboys -- by the time those 1990s teams had run out of magic -- were a dinosaur in a new era. They should've drafted (or started looking for) Aikman's successor in the mid-1990s. Like it or not, they should be looking for Romo's now, playoff wins or no.

Wide Receiver
I think drafting receivers is a bigger crapshoot than quarterbacks or any other position on the field. No reason, however. How many sure-fire receivers have we seen go by the wayside? How many half-decent receivers have we seen wilt? A ton. It seems that for every Ryan Leaf and Akili Smith, there's still a Matt Ryan or Joe Flacco. Don't get me wrong, most are still unproven commodities, but so is Mario Manningham and Limas Sweed, receivers available in the second round last draft. The Cowboys lost Terrell Owens and are stuck with Roy Williams, Pat Crayton, Miles Austin and Sam Hurd. As much as they'd like to paint it as such, this ain't a good thing. Then again, depth isn't a real issue here; it's quality.

Inside Linebacker
Since the Cowboys went to the 3-4 defense, they've had one good inside linebacker: Bradie James. The rest are retread spares, Bill Parcells guys and rookies. Sad thing, I really like Kevin Burnett and it sucks to watch him walk for so very little (relatively ... two years, $5.5 million). Anyway, it's James, two Wade Phillips guys (Matt Stewart, Keith Brooking) and Bobby Carpenter. Shit. Sounds like the last four years.

Cornerback
Gulp. Anthony Henry and Adam Jones are gone. That leaves ... Slim and his brother, None. Maybe the Cowboys got something figured out here, otherwise I have no idea why you make the Anthony Henry trade. Even if Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick are big time, chances are you'll need more bodies in case of injury and whatnot. Can you see the Cowboys going corner again in the late rounds?

Offensive Line
The O-line will be on this list until there are no more NFL Drafts. Did you know there isn't a single starting Cowboys offensive lineman under 30? Not that 30 and 31 are ancient event for linemen, but it ain't young either. And they're only getting older. It's not like the Cowboys haven't tried to get younger (James Marten, Doug Free, Pat McQuistan), but they can't draft right at that position. In fact, Adams was the last good offensive lineman the Cowboys took (I excluded Gurode because he was moved to center and his effectiveness at any position has been tenuous, at best).