While the Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff is in Arizona preparing to coach one of the Pro Bowl teams, the team's scouting department and owner/GM Jerry Jones are soaking in the first day of practices at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
If you remember, the Cowboys' scouts, and less so Jones, were blown away at this time last year when they watched an offensive lineman from Notre Dame named Zack Martin dominate the competition throughout the week before they drafted him months later to several jeers from the "experts" wondering what they were doing drafting a guard with their first-round pick.
That worked out pretty well.
As practice gets going this week for this weekend's Senior Bowl, you can bet the Cowboys are finding people they want to take in April's draft, where they have their first pick at No. 27, and the focus will be on defense — all across the board — but mainly up front and in the secondary.
They might be looking at a top running back if they think they'll let DeMarco Murray walk in free agency, and they could even be looking to draft an eventual replacement for Tony Romo at quarterback.
It's an overlooked, but very important week of the NFL calendar, and it starts Tuesday.
