There are certain mock drafts out there that carry more weight with Internet readers and followers than others, even though there is no guarantee that they are any more correct than any others. Mel Kiper is one of those people. It may be his hair, and it may be the fact that he has by far the most exposure of anyone doing it, but people continue to listen to Mel Kiper; even though he is far from perfect.
But every time he comes out with a new mock draft, it is big news. So here is his latest mock (insiders only) in which he has the Cowboys taking Nebraska cornerback Prince Amukamara; a very popular pick for the Cowboys around the Internet. Here is his rationale:
But because the mock draft can't account for draft board trades, if the draft played out this way with the picks ahead of them, the Cowboys could do a lot worse than to grab the best pure technician at the corner position. Amukamara should transition quickly, and Terence Newman isn't getting any younger.
There is a general consensus among NFL mock draft organizers that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to upgrade their defensive secondary in the upcoming NFL draft. The interesting thing about the mock draft industry as a whole, is that nobody can be really sure if that is the path the Cowboys will choose to follow when until they hand in their draft card. Defensive secondary appears to us to be a position of need, but there is no way to know if the Cowboys feel the same way.