Cowboys NFL Draft Key? 'Trust Your Board,' Says Coach Mike McCarthy

The Dallas Cowboys enter the upcoming NFL Draft in a positive space and head coach Mike McCarthy has given insight into what will be key to having a successful draft.

The Dallas Cowboys have the NFL Draft on the horizon and are finishing up the grading of players and the building of their board. The Cowboys have plenty of options regarding who they could select with the No. 26 pick as a lot of unexpected things can happen on draft night that can upset the apple cart.

But coach Mike McCarthy, who by the time we get to Thursday will have been involved in "20 to 30'' mock draft simulations to attempt to predict what might happen and to be prepared for anything, is offering an insight into how to navigate those troubled waters when in doubt.

"I think the draft board is much like your call sheet in the Super Bowl," McCarthy said at Monday's Cowboys' pre-draft press conference. "There's so much work that goes into putting together this draft board. You got to trust your board.

"The times when I've been in rooms when you don't trust it, the room for error increases. Being down there at 26, I'm an optimist. I have great confidence there will be a hell of a football player there when we pick each and every round."

​Every round? That might be a stretch? But up top? Several players have been heavily linked with Dallas, most notably Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson (should he slip) and Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer (who seems to fit a lot of Dallas' stated criteria).

But should both be off the board when the Cowboys pick at No. 26? This is where the confidence in preparation put into the Dallas draft board comes into focus. 

Doing all the homework necessary with the supervision of draft guru Will McClay, the Cowboys will not be scrambling to find a player to take should things not fall their way. Instead - ideally - a calm and systematic approach will lead Dallas to the next player in their rankings.

It all sounds good in theory, though it can be a different story once in the war room on draft night. Ultimately, "trusting the board'' is a little easier given McClay's overseeing of the process, given McCarthy's hands-on involvement and also considering the Cowboys' history when it comes to its scouting department and drafting.

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