Cowboys draft: Scouting Combine’s biggest risers that should be on Dallas’ radar

This year’s NFL scouting combine is officially in the books and all 321 prospects now leave Indianapolis and await for their respective pro day.

The list of players the Dallas Cowboys took time to interview is available here. Below are three prospects the Cowboys had a formal interview with that performed extraordinarily well at the combine and raised their stock the most. If the Cowboys want to draft any of these prospects they will need to reevaluate what pick they intended to use, or trade up to get any of them.

TROY FAUTANU, OT, WASHINGTON
All offseason there was plenty of talk on Troy Fautanu and his versatility. Some made comments that he would best be placed at guard in the NFL to succeed. That idea is still on the table, but drafting him to play tackle is now a very viable option. During the measurements he officially came in at 6’3” and 317-pounds which is perfectly fine to play tackle. The main concern for Fautanu was his reach and arm length, but he measured in at 34.5 inch on his arm length which would place him in the adequate range among offensive tackles. Fautanu also had a good day during the athletic testing. He came in with a 1.77s. 10-yard split (69%) along with a very fast 5.01s. 40-yard time (90%). His broad jump of 113” (92%) also showed his explosiveness proving he has all the tools to play offensive tackle in the NFL. The problem for Dallas is Fautanu may have put himself in the top 20, just out of reach for the Cowboys pick. That means if they want him they may have to go up and get him.

EDGERRIN COOPER, TEXAS A&M
Off-ball linebacker is a massive need for Dallas and Edgerrin Cooper represents the very best in this year’s draft. To no surprise, Dallas got in early and had a formal interview with the Aggie linebacker. Will McClay and company then sat and watched as Cooper blew up the athletic testing. Cooper registered a blazing 1.54s, 10-yard split along with an electrifying 40 time at 4.51s. (both 97th percentile). What made Cooper standout though was the on-field drills. He showed his full range of motion and looked very clean and clinical during the drills. He was smooth, explosive and had no errors. His stock might go up considerably after the linebackers completed their workouts on Thursday and where Dallas hoped to take him in the second-round may not be an option. Cooper is now a fringe first-round talent.

XAVIER WORTHY, TEXAS
The Cowboys used seven of their 45 formal interview choices on the wide receiver position. One of the receivers the Cowboys spent time talking to was Longhorns burner Xavier Worthy. Unless you missed Worthy due to how insanely fast he was at Indianapolis, he set a new fastest 40-yard time at 4.21s. His elite athleticism didn’t end there however. Although he didn’t outrun Dez Bryant’s combine leading 10-yard split time of 1.4s, Worthy still clocked in at 1.48s which is elite quickness. But Worthy also registered a vertical jump of 41” (98%) and a broad jump of 10-foot-11 (97%). Some will argue that Worthy is just a fast deep threat and stirred up echoes of John Ross some years ago who failed to translate in the NFL. But he proved he’s a lot more than that and his 26 career touchdowns for Texas is testament to the fact. For Dallas, they would have viewed Worthy as a prospect just outside the top-50, but after his performance at the combine he’s now inside the top-40.