Cowboys win coin flip to pick 16th in NFL Draft

Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett will have the No. 16 pick to work with in the NFL Draft. (USATSI)

The Dallas Cowboys will pick No. 16 in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft in May.

The Cowboys won a coin flip with the Baltimore Ravens that took place Wednesday morning at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to break a tie. The Ravens will have the No. 17 overall selection, which is their highest pick in the draft since 2008.

Both teams finished the regular season with 8-8 records and had identical strength of schedule ratings. Their 2013 opponents' winning percentage was .484, necessitating the coin flip.

NFLDraftScout.com projects the Ravens selecting wide receiver Mike Evans of Texas A&M at No. 17 and the Cowboys taking defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan of Florida State or defensive tackle Aaron Donald of Pittsburgh at No. 16.

In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Bills selected EJ Manuel with the No. 16 pick while the Steelers took Jarvis Jones with the No. 17 pick.

The middle of the first round has been fertile ground in recent years with names like Ryan Kerrigan, Robert Quinn, Michael Brockers, Bruce Irvin, Michael Floyd and Star Lotulelei peppering that portion of the draft. While Baltimore's draft record is more hits than misses, the Cowboys can't say the same.

The Cowboys had picks in the top 10 in two of the past three drafts, including nabbing Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith with the ninth overall pick in 2011. In 2012, Dallas moved up to take Morris Claiborne sixth overall, but the LSU product is at a crossroads with the team after battling injuries most of last season.

In 2005, the Cowboys drafted DeMarcus Ware at No. 11 and in '06 took linebacker Bobby Carpenter (18th) in the first round.

In 1990, Emmitt Smith was 17th overall and in 1992, cornerback Kevin Smith was the Cowboys' pick at No. 17.

NFL Hot News

Ravens RB Rice arrested for casino altercation with fiancee



According to espn.com's Jamison Hensley, Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice and his fiancee were both arrested and charged with simple assault following a physical altercation over the weekend in an Atlantic City, N.J. casino. The police report stated that the two, "struck each other with their hands", but that no injuries were reported. Both were released, but ordered to appear in court at a later date.Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome was reluctant to weigh in on the matter just yet, saying, "I don't know the situation. I've only gotten what has been written. I've not had a chance to talk to Ray. I really don't know the situation. Up until I get all the answers, then that's when we make decisions within this organization".Rice is coming off his worst seaon in Baltimore, rushing for only 660 yards and 4 touchdowns.



Well, if you owned Rice in 2013, you probably spent a first round pick on him and cursed him all year long. If you're in a keeper league, this news probably isn't making you feel any more confident in bringing him back next year.As reported by our Brian Murphy Saturday morning, the Ravens would like for Rice to remain a focal part of their running attack, while also keeping Bernard Pierce involved. However, neither of them tore it up last season, with Rice averaging only 3.1 yards per carry amp; Pierce 2.9.Rice has been a favorite RB of mine for several years, after leading me to multiple fantasy titles. However, depending on how this legal matter plays out, it's quite possible that Rice's fantasy value could continue to drop during the off-season. It had already taken a hit based on his performance in 2013, and rarely do off-field, personal issues lead to on-field improvement. We can only hope that RIce uses this as a wake-up call and refocuses his priorities.