Coming into the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys had a lot of questions that needed to be answered.  What moves would Jerry Jones make that created an “uncomfortable” situation at Valley Ranch?  Which free agents would leave Dallas? What moves would they make in the NFL Draft come April?  I am going to focus on the latter; here is a look at their top five needs.

1. Offensive Line

There is no denying that the Cowboys had issues with protecting Tony Romo this past season, it seemed as if he was running for his life as soon as they snapped the ball.  Only one player competed well enough to earn the right to return as a starter, Tyron Smith.  The combination of  the two guards, center and right tackle all need to be addressed.  Lane Johnson from Oklahoma is one player that has stood out since the first Senior Bowl practice.

2. Defensive Line

This issue seems to have been in the press a lot lately with the drinking incidents of Jay Ratliff and Josh Brent.  It is likely that one or both of them will not be returning next season.  It would seem to be more likely that Ratliff would be the one to return.  Sheldon Richardson or Sharrif Floyd are both heralded defensive tackles that can be drafted in the first round.  They also fit a need with Dallas making the move to the 4-3 defensive scheme.

3. Wide Receiver

Late in the season, the Cowboys were hit with the injury bug in their wide receiver corp.  Two players stood out for them.  Dez Bryant became the game breaker that they thought they drafted in 2011.  A surprise was the play of Dwayne Harris, when given a chance to play he rose to the occasion.  Miles Austin has been nothing but a disappointment since he signed his big deal.  Quinton Patterson or Kenny Stills could be later round pick ups with a needed focus on this position.

4. Running Back

I know that the Cowboys have their running back of the future with DeMarco Murray, however, much like Felix Jones, he has been unable to stay healthy.  Jones is not the type of player that can carry a team in crunch time.  He seems to be more of a 10-15 carries a game maximum.  Montee Ball is a player that I could see as a suitable backup for Murray and still able to shoulder the load if he goes down with injury.

5. Punter

This is a position that doesn't seem to get a whole lot of press.  Chris Jones although young was dealing with injuries this season causing the team to bring in veteran Brian Moorman.  Cowboys should bring in someone to compete with Jones or Moorman and that is why I am looking toward Oklahoma State’s Quinn Sharp.  He also can be a kicker having backed up Dan Bailey while he was also playing in Stillwater.