Bill Belichick stumps for Dallas to select Texas A&M football's Edgerrin Cooper

Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick advocates for Dallas Cowboys to select Texas A&M football's Edgerrin Cooper

It was a dream of many Texas A&M football and Dallas Cowboys fans that the latter would select the highest-rated Aggie on the board with their first-round pick. I'm speaking, of course, of linebacker Edgerrin Cooper; the Aggie LB fits well a need for America's Team, and Cooper's stock has risen dramatically to where a first-round selection is eminently conceivable.

The Cowboys ended up going with OT Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma, another big position of need for Dallas after Tyron Smith departed in free agency. Still, though, it was more than just Aggie fans who were connecting the Cowboys and Cooper.

Legendary former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick, as part of his draft coverage on the Pat McAfee show, chimed in with his opinion about what Dallas should do. Apparently, he was of the opinion that the Cowboys should go on the defensive side of the ball, specifically with Cooper.

For a guy who knows defense as well as Belichick does, maybe the Cowboys should have heeded this advice. Guyton certainly addresses a need for Jerry Jones's team, but it wasn't the pass protection that gave up 27 points in the first half of the Wild Card game to the Green Bay Packers—it was the lackadaisical defense in Arlington.

There's still a chance that Dallas could pick Cooper in the second round, but it's a pretty faint one. He would have to have a pretty sharp fall for him to be available, or the Cowboys would have to trade up to get him. They are usually loathe to avail themselves of that latter strategy, so I think Coop will likely be snapped up before Dallas is back on the clock. He sits in a prime position to hear his name called early tomorrow.