Cowboys Draft: Players to Watch at East-West Shrine Bowl

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys - along with 29 other teams - have begun their offseason while the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers prepare for their matchup in Super Bowl LVIII.

With April's NFL Draft right around the corner, player evaluation has already started for teams around the league. One opportunity to see some potential draftees up close and in person will be the East-West Shrine Bowl.

The Shrine Bowl consists of seniors from colleges all over the country who are still eligible to play for their school.

Last season, the Cowboys scouted three future draft picks of theirs at the game. Tight end Luke Schoonmaker from Michigan was taken by Dallas in the second round, defensive lineman Villiami Fehoko from San Jose State was taken in the fourth round, and defensive back Eric Scott was selected in the sixth round by the Cowboys.

Let's take a look at two defensive players who could be targeted by Dallas in this year's draft and who will be playing in the East-West Shrine Bowl at the Ford Center in Frisco on Thursday.

DT Myles Murphy - North Carolina Tarheels

The defensive line is becoming more and more of a need for the Cowboys to upgrade while adding depth at the same time. Murphy has reportedly impressed at practice this week increasing his draft stock. He can play both on the interior defensive line as well as lining up on the end, making him a flexible piece to add to any NFL roster.

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LB Edgerrin Cooper - Texas A&M Aggies

Linebacker is another position of need for Dallas on the defensive side of the ball. With the injury history of Leighton Vander Esch and his future uncertain, it's a position that's typically easy to draft for each year. Cooper will without question be the best at his position at the Shrine Bowl and he'll show off his tremendous athleticism. He's an excellent pass rusher who can play both strong and weak sides as well as filling in in t the middle if needed.