Mike Mayock: Cowboys have to pull trigger on Jalen Ramsey, if available

Forget upgrading the pass rush with the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft.

If Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey is available when the Dallas Cowboys are on the clock next Thursday night, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock thinks it’s an easy choice – grab the versatile, play-making defensive back.

“If he’s there, I think his athleticism and upside and the fact that he’s clean off the field is going to trump Joey Bosa,” Mayock said during a conference call with reporters on Friday.

“[Ramsey] can play corner, he can play safety. It makes things easier with making decisions with Byron Jones, [the Cowboys’ first-round pick last year]. Yeah, I think they have to pull the trigger if he’s there.”

But Mayock doesn’t think Ramsey will slip to the Cowboys. He believes the San Diego Chargers will select him with the third overall pick.

If that happens, Mayock is high on the Cowboys taking Bosa, the Ohio State defensive end.

It’s no secret that the Cowboys must improve a pass rush that had only 31 sacks a season ago, and 28 in 2014. On top of that, Randy Gregory has been suspended for the first four games for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, and DeMarcus Lawrence also faces a four-game suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy.

That makes Bosa a natural fit, although he has his own off-field questions. He was suspended for Ohio State’s season opener for a violation of athletic department policy.

“That’s something that Dallas has to look at,” Mayock said. “I think the flip side of that is if you can get comfortable with whatever it was off the field, his effort on the field is unbelievable.

“That kid will lineup Day 1, give you a great effort and be a good football player.”

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Mike Mayock: Cowboys have to pull trigger on Jalen Ramsey, if available."