Cowboys look for defensive help in draft

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been talking about getting a “war daddy” pass rusher since the end of the 2016 season.

The Cowboys have long had a problem getting to the quarterback. The issue was exacerbated in the divisional playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers when they couldn’t get to Aaron Rodgers when it mattered most.

It marked the end of the 21st season since the Cowboys reached the Super Bowl in 1995, the most recent of their three Super Bowl titles during a dominating run that didn’t take off until the team traded for pass rusher Charles Haley.

Now, like then, the Cowboys believe they have the offense in place to contend for a Super Bowl, thanks to the new triplets in quarterback Dak Prescott, running Ezekiel Elliott and receiver Dez Bryant to go along with the league’s best offensive line.

They just need a playmaking linchpin or three on defense to help put them over top.

So defense will be the primary focus for the Cowboys in the 2017 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday with the first round and runs through Saturday.

The Cowboys have seven picks in the draft, including the 28th overall selection, and it would come as no surprise if a great majority of them, if not all, are defensive players.

The Cowboys’ dream scenario is for Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett, a possible top-10 pick, to slip a little in the draft, allowing them to move up and get the war daddy pass rusher they covet so much, according to a source.

Short of that, the Cowboys plan to sit at the 28th pick and hopefully choose among the prospects of Missouri defensive end Charles Harris, UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley, Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton, Washington cornerback Kevin King, Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey, Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson and USC cornerback Adoree Jackson.

The Cowboys will not be able to target a player at No. 28 and will have to choose from what’s left on the draft board.

The good news is that the draft is deep at defensive end and at cornerback and the Cowboys have major needs at both positions, as well as safety.