Home > 2005 Dallas Cowboys NFL Draft

With 2 picks in the 1st round, the 2005 Dallas Cowboys NFL draft will peak many of the Cowboys faithful's interest. All eyes are on big D to see what college prospects they will take. With many needs to fill it is still unclear who the Cowboys will select but most experts believe the Cowboys will be going defense early but the possibility of a trade is always on the minds of Cowboys master minds.

1st Round
11th overall Pick - Demarcus Ware Defensive End from Troy State.
The Cowboys wanted and needed a pass-rushing force, and Ware provides that skill in a big way. His stock has been shooting up in recent weeks. Bill Parcells loves Ware's hustle and the fact that, in addition to having excellent speed, he also offers plenty of power. He is the versatile end/outside linebacker that can play a major role in a scheme that will mix 4-3 and 3-4 fronts.

1st Round
20th overall Pick - Marcus Spears Defensive End from LSU.
Marcus Spears is a critical component to the conversion to the 3-4 defense. The only 300-pound defensive end in the draft with a first-round grade, Spears will line up in Parcells' defense much like Richard Seymour does for the Patriots.

2nd Round
42nd overall Pick - Kevin Burnett LB from Tennessee.
Burnett is part of Tennessee history -- he's the first two-time captain in 100 years. He was a high-school running back and had a better year in 2003 than 2004, partly because of injuries. This is a very good athlete.

3rd Round (the Cowboys will start the draft with no picks in the 3rd round, they traded this pick to the Houston Texans last year for Drew Henson)

4th Round
109th overall Pick - Marion Barber III RB from Minnesota
Barber needs to work on his running style and improve his vision and patience as a runner. However, he has adequate size, above average top-end speed, and he's a tough runner. Some feel that Barber can emerge as a "sleeper" in this class and become an impact fulltime starter in the NFL.

4th Round
132nd overall Pick - Chris Canty DE from Virginia
Canty comes with a bit of a risk. He missed part of last season at Virginia with a knee injury. Then in late January, he suffered a detached retina in a bar fight. He says the knee is coming along fine but the eye is the bigger concern. If Canty is healthy, he would give the Cowboys another strong defensive end who excels against the run. He is not a speed rusher -- he had just seven sacks and 20 quarterback pressures in his career.

5th Round
148th overall Pick (traded to Philadelphia along with a 4th round pick in 2006 for the 132nd pick above and a 6th round selection in 2006).

6th Round
208th overall Pick - Justin Beriault safety from Ball State
Beriault is a productive football player who may not look the best, but puts up numbers anyway. He started 45 of 46 games in his Ball State career. He had more than 100 tackles in every season of college football he played. He needs to improve his speed (4.59 40) to help cover NFL receivers in deep zones. But he's an instinctive football player with a knack of being around the ball.

6th Round
209 overall Pick - Rob Petitti offensive tackle from Pittsburgh
Petitti is a two-time All-Big East offensive lineman. He is quick off the ball and also can play the power game. His stock may have been hurt some by a toe injury that caused him to miss some drills at the Combine. Pettiti has struggled to keep his playing weight at times and conditioning sometimes becomes a concern for him.

7th Round
224th overall Pick - Jeremiah Ratliff defensive tackle from Auburn
Ratliff came to Auburn as a tight end and eventually moved to defensive end and defensive tackle. He started 22 of 34 games in his Auburn career. He had 81 tackles, 37 of which were solo hits, two sacks and 12 quarterback pressures. His production was a concern for some scouts as was his size if he is to play inside at tackle.