Cowboys Were Hoping For Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald Or Ryan Shazier In Round One

According to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys were targeting DE/OLB Anthony Barr, DT Aaron Donald and LB Ryan Shazier round one, but unfortunately for them, neither of these players were still on the board at No. 16 overall.

In fact, the Cowboys were on the phone with Shazier’s agent explaining that they were prepared to take him at No. 16 when the Steelers surprised them by selecting Shazier, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Vikings cautiously traded back to No. 10 overall and selected Barr as they were reportedly afraid of the Titans drafting him at No. 11 overall.

Meanwhile, Donald fell into the Rams’ hands at No. 13 who were surprised that he was still available to them at that point in the draft.

There’s no question that the Cowboys needed to address defense in this year’s draft, but they still came away with a solid play in Notre OL Zack Martin could give them a long-term starter at right tackle or left guard, depending on what they want to do.

Dallas wound up selecting Boise State DE/OLB Demarcus Lawrence in round two while grabbing Iowa LB Anthony Hitchens in the fourth round.