The 2017 BTB Mock Draft Challenge: Create Your Own Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft

Do you have a little time to spare for some mock draft fun on a lazy Saturday morning? If so, you're in luck, because BTB has got a challenge for you: Create a Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft.

This is the second time this year we're doing this exercise, after doing our first one in early February. So go ahead, create your mock draft for the Dallas Cowboys and submit it for a peer review by your fellow Blogging The Boys members. The BTB community will hand out recommendations for those mocks they like the most, and the winners will be put to a final vote some time over the next two weeks.

But wait. There are rules, and the rules are different than they were in our previous challenges, though you still can't just pick whatever players you like.

The Rules

We will use the Drafttek Big Board March 12, 2017 as the basis for all mock drafts. We will assume that all draft-eligible players will be available at exactly the spot Drafttek has them in. You don't like where Drafttek has a player ranked? Go complain to someone who cares.

Dallas currently owns seven picks in the NFL draft, numbers 28, 60, 92, 133, 211, 226, and 246.

NEW RULE: To account for the vagaries of the draft and the inaccuracies inherent in draft boards, you are allowed to pick up to five spots higher than the picks the Cowboys own. That means you can use your 28th pick to pick any player ranked 23rd or lower on the Drafttek big board. Your 60th pick can get you any player ranked 55th or lower, and so on.

NEW RULE: Starting in the third round, you can designate one player as a "fallen" prospect. This is a player that will fall a maximum of 20 spots from their current ranking on the big board. That means you could use your 92nd pick to draft a player ranked 72nd or lower, or you could use your 133rd pick to draft a player ranked 113th, and so on. But you can only use the "fallen" player designation once in your draft.

You are allowed only one trade-down. The value you give up in the trade-down must be equal to or greater than the value you receive, e.g. your 28th (660 pts) pick could get you Arizona's 45th and 77th picks (450+205=655 pts).

You can find the full 2017 NFL draft order here in case you're looking for a team to trade with. Use this handy draft pick value calculator and the draft value chart immediately below it, it will make this exercise a lot easier.

Mocks that do not meet the criteria outlined above will be deleted. Nobody wants to waste their time on mocks that don't fit the bill.

Post your mock in the comments section below. As you read through the mocks other BTB members have posted, look for mocks that you like and recommend them (just press rec at the bottom of the comment box). And don't be stingy with your rec's. It's more fun for everybody involved if we have a high rec' count.

The best mocks will be featured on the front page in some form over the next two weeks or so, so put some thought into your mock. And give us a rationale for your picks - mocks that have some extra content beyond a simple list of nine player names usually get more rec's, are more fun to read, and will be treated preferentially as I pick the best mocks for the front page post.

To get this challenge started, I'll submit the following mock:

Rd 1: 28 (33) Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State: The "other" Ohio State CB opposite Marshon Lattimore "allowed just 14 receptions for 159 yards, and an NFL passer rating of 14.0, best in the nation, on throws into his coverage in 2016," Pro Football Focus writes. That's good enough to make him my top pick.

Rd 2: 60 (61) Marcus Williams, S, Utah: I'll let Rob Rang of CBS Sports do the honors on this supremely athletic safety:

The NFL loves playmakers and few have proven better on the defensive side of the ball in this area than Williams, who created 18 turnovers (11 interceptions, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries) over the past three seasons for a Utah defense loaded with next level prospects.

COMPARES TO: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay Packers: Don't laugh, while Williams is approximately 10 pounds lighter than the Packers' standout free safety, he possesses a similar combination of instincts, soft hands and reliable open-field tackling skills.

Rd 3: 92 (91) Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova: Kpassagnon has become a bit of a pet cat here on BTB, but there's no denying he is a unique athlete, even if he is still very raw. But that's what was said about Jason Pierre-Paul back in the day as well. CBS Sports explains:

Comparing Kpassagnon to Pierre-Paul, a two-time Pro Bowler, might seem like hyperbole but he too was quite raw as a one-year starter out of South Florida back in 2010. Kpassagnon has a long ways to go before warranting this comparison but few - even in the NFL - possess his combination of length and explosiveness.

Rd 4: 133 (125) FALLING: Sidney Jones, CB, Washington: The proper place to take injured prospects with a first-round pedigree is the fourth round, not the second round.

Rd 6: 211 (233) Jon Toth, C, Kentucky: Toth has played every position on the Kentcky's O-line and could provide the Cowboys with an inside swing guy who can be an effective backup at center for Travis Frederick. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com with the lowdown:

Toth is a tough, four-year starter. Will appeal to teams looking for centers who can operate in a power-based rushing scheme. While he's better in a phone booth than on the move, he understands his limitations and does a good job of staying within himself. He's not the best athlete at the position but his size, arm length, strength and consistency should outweigh that on the next level. Toth has the traits and ability to be an eventual starter in the NFL.

Rd 7: 226 (272) Robert Davis, WR, Georgia State. The Cowboys take a flyer on an athletic freak.

Rd 7: 246 (343) Chris Carson, RB, Oklahoma State. The Cowboys scouts are still pissed they lost Darius Jackson. Now they get a guy who compares to DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson and are happy again.

Your turn.

Source: The 2017 BTB Mock Draft Challenge: Create Your Own Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft