Ramsey, Bosa and Elliott: Who fits best in Big D for Cowboys?
Jalen Ramsey dreams of joining his favorite team. The Florida State defensive back doesn’t even try to hide his wish for the Dallas Cowboys to make him the fourth overall choice.
“I grew up a Cowboys fan,” Ramsey said Wednesday in a pre-draft media session at a chilly Grant Park. “It’s America’s Team. That’s what I grew up knowing. That’s what I grew up believing. There you have it.”
But Ohio State players Ezekiel Elliott and Joey Bosa also have hopes of joining the Cowboys.
“It would be a great place to end up,” Bosa said. “I feel like I’d fit really well. They’re missing two [defensive ends] for four games [for suspensions]. … I feel like that would be a great fit for me.”
It’s America’s Team. That’s what I grew up knowing. That’s what I grew up believing.
Jalen Ramsey
Florida State safetyThe 81st edition of the NFL Draft offers unknowns after the first two selections. The Los Angeles Rams traded up to No. 1 and are expected to select Cal quarterback Jared Goff. The Philadelphia Eagles’ moved into position for North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz at No. 2.
The San Diego Chargers select before the Cowboys, leaving some uncertainty as to who else will be off the board when Dallas’ turn comes. But the Cowboys should have at least two of their top-three choices to pick from, and they are expected to select Ramsey, Elliott or Bosa.
Ramsey, like last year’s first-round pick, Byron Jones, can play cornerback or safety. Cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne could leave Dallas after this season, and Orlando Scandrick is returning from major knee surgery.
Elliott, a versatile running back, would fill the hole left by DeMarco Murray’s departure after the 2014 season when Murray led the league in rushing. The Cowboys, though, signed Alfred Morris in free agency to pair with Darren McFadden, who was fourth in the NFL with 1,089 rushing yards last season.
I’m sure every running back in this draft is licking their chops for the opportunity to play behind that line.
Ezekiel Elliott
Ohio State running backBosa plays defensive end, a position of need for a team that made only 31 sacks last season.
Team officials spoke glowingly of all three players during a news conference earlier this week, revealing little about which way they are leaning.
Owner Jerry Jones gave Bosa a vote of approval despite the defensive end’s suspension for the 2015 season opener, reportedly for marijuana. The Cowboys already have two defensive ends — DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory — serving four-game suspensions in 2016 for failed drug tests.
But Jones said “character concerns” have not eliminated Bosa from consideration for the Cowboys.
“It’s nice, because there are so many rumors and so much nonsense out in the media that you don’t even know where it comes from,” Bosa said. “You just hear this stuff, and you’re like, ‘What are these people talking about?’ To actually get to talk to people and people get to know you and actually learn about you and who you are and learn about your character instead of just reading something on Twitter, it’s really nice to get to go sell yourself to these teams. Yeah, it means a lot that he said that.”
It would be a great place to end up. I feel like I’d fit really well.
Joey Bosa
Ohio State defensive endThe Cowboys did their due diligence on the three players during the pre-draft process. Bosa, Elliott and Ramsey visited Valley Ranch, and Cowboys officials made trips to Ohio State and Florida State to work them out.
All three make a case why the Cowboys should choose them.
Elliott wants to run behind the “best offensive line in football.”
“It would be an honor for any running back to go run behind them,” he said. “I’m sure every running back in this draft is licking their chops for the opportunity to play behind that line. The commitment to the run and just all the veterans, all the superstars around you, is appealing.
“You’ve got some vets around you that you can learn a lot from. You can learn a lot from [Tony] Romo. You can learn a lot from Jason Witten. You can learn a lot from Dez [Bryant]. I think it would be a good situation for me. I could go in there, and I can learn and I can develop.”
Ramsey wants to face Bryant every day in practice.
“I just like his mindset, his competitiveness,” Ramsey said of Bryant. “People call it cocky. You can call it confident or arrogant. You can call it whatever you want. It is what it is. He’s good, period. He’s one of the best receivers in the game, and that’s always been a guy I wanted to go up against whether it’s in practice or the game.”
Bosa wants to learn from Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.
“He’s awesome,” Bosa said. “I think he likes me a lot. We sat down and probably talked for three hours, watching film and talking football, so it was great.”
Only one of the prospects, though, will end up in Dallas.
“Who knows what’s going to happen,” Elliott said.
Charean Williams: 817-390-7760, @NFLCharean
The Dallas Cowboys select ...
The Dallas Cowboys own the fourth selection in the first round of the NFL Draft, which will be Thursday through Saturday in Chicago. The club has nine total picks, including compensatory picks.
First Round (1): 4th Pick (4th overall)
Second Round (1): 3rd Pick (34th overall)
Third Round (1): 4th Pick (67th overall)
Fourth Round (2): 3rd Pick (101st overall)
37th Pick (135th overall)
Fifth Round (0): Traded to Oakland for Brice Butler
Sixth Round (4): *14th pick (189th overall)
37th pick (212th overall)
41st pick (216th overall)
42nd pick (217th overall)
Seventh Round (0): Traded to Seattle for Christine Michael
*14th pick (189th overall) from Oakland for Brice Butler Original 2016 Sixth Round choice was traded to San Francisco for 2015 Seventh Round choice (Geoff Swaim)
This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Ramsey, Bosa and Elliott: Who fits best in Big D for Cowboys?."