The Dallas Cowboys are not in desperate need for a wide receiver in the NFL draft.
Dez Bryant is working on the franchise tag ($12.823 million in 2015) and the team re-signed Cole Beasley to a four-year deal with $7 million guaranteed. Terrance Williams is still under contract for two more years and Devin Street, last year's fifth WR, has promise.
Despite all this, Ohio State wide receiver Devin Smith was still one of Dallas' pre-draft visitors this week. Curious.
Smith reminds NFL scouts of DeSean Jackson with his above-average speed. His 28 yards-per-reception (!) average last year probably has something to do with it as well. Bryant can do everything you need a wide receiver to do on a football field but not even he can match up with Smith's 4.42 40-yard dash time.
Smith ended up with 33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. He is considered a second-round pick by many NFL observers and ESPN Insider ranks him as the 33rd best overall prospect.
Would he make sense for the Cowboys with the 27th overall pick?
"If at No. 27 this year the Cowboys are looking at a draft board that has been wiped out of players they covet, then Smith could be a good fall back plan and give the Cowboys' offense a speedy, big-play threat," ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer wrote.
Fall back plan are the key words there. A wide receiver would be a luxury pick for the Cowboys. What the team really wants and needs is help in the secondary. The Boys finished last season 26th in passing defense (251.9 yards allowed per game) and 28th in opposing completion percentage (66.5). That's why Dallas has been linked to cornerbacks Kevin Johnson and Byron Jones recently. If either is still on the board, expect the Cowboys to prioritize them over Smith.
