Dallas Cowboys Select Keyarris Garrett, WR Tulsa

"With the 196th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Keyarris Garrett, Wide Receiver from the University of Tulsa"

To the naked eye this may appear to be just another random mock draft for the Dallas Cowboy fan. Look deeper though. This is a crystal ball revealing where the nation's leading receiver in yards could possibly begin his NFL career.

The mission was to try and predict where Tulsa wide receiver Keyarris Garrett may be selected in next month's NFL draft. Some boards have him going as high as the third round. Others have him working his way onto a team as an undrafted free-agent. Frustrated and disillusioned by my research, I conceded the only way to figure out where Garrett might be selected was to pretend for a moment I was an NFL general manager and hold my own mock draft.

I laid out some ground rules for myself so as to be fair and impartial:

Rule One: I chose to be GM of Dallas. Tulsa and most of Oklahoma root for the Cowboys. Garrett is from Daingerfield, Texas, so there's that. Plus, what more could I mess up that Jerry hasn't already?

Rule Two: Incorporate a "fair and impartial" selection process by using an unbiased computer generated simulation engine to hold my draft. On The Clock Mock Draft Simulator seemed to fit the bill, plus it was free. This platform allows you to pick your team and select players and simulate all other teams using its own brainiac algorithm.

Rule Three: It was imperative I kept this board "straight chalk" and select players according to Dallas' real time draft needs. I utilized the NFL.com Big Board as my player matrix.

Rule Four: Be as objectionable as possible and draft completely for need unless a higher player dropped in my lap, in which case I would suddenly become subjective.

Rule Five: Target Tulsa WR Keyarris Garrett when the time was right. Don't reach, but don't let him slip away either.

Realizing Dallas' needs were clearly defense, Defense & MORE DEFENSE helped me plan my draft accordingly. Draft early and heavy on the defensive side then chip away and plug up some holes at RB, WR & QB.

Underdog Dynasty is on the clock......

R1 (4) OLB MYLES JACK UCLA

R2 (34) DT VERNON BUTLER LOUISIANA TECH

R3 (67) S MILES KILLEBREW SOUTHERN UTAH

R4 (102) DT CHRIS JONES MISSISSIPPI STATE

R4 (137) RB JORDAN HOWARD INDIANA

R6 (196) WR KEYARRIS GARRETT TULSA

R6 (212) QB JEFF DRISKEL LOUISIANA TECH

R6 (216) CB KEVON SEYMOUR USC

R6 (217) OLB TYRIQ MCCORD MIAMI (FL)

The first three picks were no brainers. DT Chris Jones slipped to me in the fourth so I put my offensive plans on hold. Garrett was available at #137, but running back depth is a huge concern headed into 2016 not knowing if McFadden can hold up another full year or if Lance Dunbar's knee is fully recovered. Picking Howard here over Garrett was a tough decision but the right choice.

Now to cross my fingers and play the waiting game, hoping a wide receiver like Keyarris Garret is still around 59 picks later. I'm hedging my bets that up to this point, teams have passed on him because he played at a small school and racked up his yards against inferior Group of Five opponents.

As a GM, I've done my due diligence and know that this is far from the truth. Garrett can bring the lightning and the thunder that goes with it. His large size and frame (6'3/220) and extraordinary hands contribute to his big play capabilities. I passed on Randy Moss once, I'm not making that mistake twice.

The pick is in......

"With the 196th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select Keyarris Garrett, Wide Receiver from the University of Tulsa"

Welcome home Keyarris.