Mel Kiper breaks down Dallas Cowboys draft needs ahead of Thursday

With the Dallas Cowboys seemingly so close to breaking through into the upper echelon of NFL teams once again, this week’s NFL Draft looms large. The Cowboys have faced criticism this offseason for losing some key pieces and a successful draft could turn the moaning and groaning into excitement very quickly.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper broke down the Cowboys’ biggest needs with just two days until the clock starts on the first round. Jerry Jones has the No. 24 overall pick to get things going on Thursday night. Among the top priorities should be wide receiver, defensive end, tight end, inside linebacker and defensive tackle.

In Kiper and Todd McShay’s latest mock draft, they have Dallas keeping their spot at No. 24 and going for Penn State edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie.

“If you’re looking for a pass rusher, I don’t know what you’re looking for if you don’t like this kid,” Kiper said of Ebiketie. “He got after the quarterback at Temple, he got after the quarterback at Penn State. Love the way he utilizes his hands.”

Todd McShay also shared what he’s been hearing, which is that the Cowboys could draft wideout Treylon Burks from Jones’ alma mater, Arkansas. Burks visited with Dallas two weeks ago during first-round prospect visits.

“I keep hearing Treylon Burks from Arkansas, there’s that connection there with Dallas,” McShay said. “He would be right in the range that I think he’s going to go.”

Jerry Jones jokes about who has final call in Cowboys draft room

There are a lot of big personalities inside of the Dallas Cowboys front office, with none bigger than owner/general manager Jerry Jones. Between him and Executive Vice President Stephen Jones, questions always arise as to who has the final call on decisions, especially regarding the NFL Draft.

On Tuesday, Jerry addressed how the Cowboys approach the process, saying Dallas includes everyone in the decision. However, he could not help himself to make a joke about who makes the better overall decision, saying he made the decision to draft Micah Parsons while Stephen called for first-round bust Taco Charlton.

“Our process is an inclusive one, we’ve said it,” Jerry Jones said. “There’s a lot of talk in this business about who makes the call, who actually makes the call. Taco was Stephen’s call. Parsons is my call.”

Stephen found humor in it himself, laughing along with head coach Mike McCarthy and the rest of the media.

“That’s not that funny to me,” Stephen Jones said with a smile on his face, playing into the joke.