IRVING, Texas - In seven of the last eight years, the Cowboys' first draft choice has been included in the team's annual 30 visits, which began Monday morning at Valley Ranch.
Teams are allowed to bring in 30 players for national visits, which included one-on-one times with the scouts and assistant coaches. For the Cowboys, it's never a matter of the top 30 players on their board, but a rather a mixed bag of potential picks from the first round, all the way to the seventh.
This year, the Cowboys changed up the format somewhat. Instead of putting two groups of 15 players over a two-day period, the club has spread it over three days, with 10 players visiting each day.
Monday's group included defensive standout Aaron Donald, a defensive tackle from Pittsburgh who would be a three-technique in the 4-3 scheme.
Last year, Travis Frederick was among the Top 30 visitors, along with Terrance Williams and J.J. Wilcox. Also, Tyron Smith, Dez Bryant, Jason Williams, Felix Jones, Anthony Spencer and Bobby Carpenter all visited the Cowboys before being selected as a first-round pick or in Williams' case, the team's top slection of the draft back in 2009.
However, just because a player isn't among this list, doesn't mean he won't be a first-round pick. The Cowboys drafted Morris Claiborne in 2012 and DeMarcus Ware in 2005 without bringing them in for a visit.
