With the draft quickly approaching, here is a position-by-position look at the Dallas Cowboys' roster and potential needs:
LINEBACKER
On the roster: Sean Lee (signed through 2019), Jaylon Smith (signed through 2020), Damien Wilson (signed through 2018), Joe Thomas (signed through 2019), Justin March-Lillard (signed through 2018), Tre’von Johnson (signed through 2019).
Analysis: Lee is the most pivotal figure on the Cowboys' defense. He missed five games last season (hamstring strain) and the Cowboys lost four of them. Lee can make up for missteps elsewhere defensively because of his ability to read and react so quickly. Without Lee, those holes get exposed.
The coaches credited Smith with 99 tackles last season as he played in every game after missing his rookie season with a knee injury that included nerve damage. Smith played better down the stretch, but his snaps were kept under control.
Wilson was a starting strongside linebacker, which means he was not on the field much considering how much the team used its sub packages. He has some position flexibility and runs well enough to be in the sub packages, but he did not follow up a good 2016 season with as solid of a 2017 season.
Thomas was a backup linebacker and special-teams contributor in his time with the Green Bay Packers. The Cowboys had Justin Durant and Kyle Wilber as backups last year, but the team hopes Thomas can play more defensively and be a core special-teamer.
March-Lillard was picked up during the season but was mostly a special-teamer. Coach Jason Garrett believes he has a chance to be a contributor, but how much could be determined by what the Cowboys do in the draft.
Draft need: Lee's health will always be a story. He has yet to play a full season; he could have done so in 2016, but the coaches held him out of a meaningless finale.
Smith's return from a serious knee injury is amazing, but the Cowboys don't know if he can handle a larger role in 2018 and are considering giving him time at strongside linebacker.
The loss of Anthony Hitchens in free agency not only removes a good player but a player who can play also multiple positions. The Cowboys added Thomas in free agency, but after Lee, Smith and Wilson they are painfully thin at the position.
That puts linebacker at or near the top of the list of needs as the draft approaches.
Possible picks: Boise State's Leighton Vander Esch, Alabama's Rashaan Evans, South Carolina State's Darius Leonard, Wisconsin's Jack Cichy.
Prediction: The Cowboys will take a linebacker in the first round. Not only that, they will take two linebackers in the draft. They've taken multiple players at the same position in the past: In 2008, they drafted tailback Felix Jones and cornerback Mike Jenkins in the first round, and then took running back Tashard Choice and corner Orlando Scandrick in the fifth round.
The series: