Hamstrung by the lack of a first-round pick, the Dallas Cowboys will be at the mercy of the unpredictability of the NFL draft, as the franchise won't go on the clock until pick No. 58.

With the number of variables in place, the draft can seemingly go in an infinite amount of directions. The Cowboys' front office has to be ready to react quickly and on the fly. While it's impossible to predict how the Cowboys will react, we can use their list of pre-draft national visitors as a guiding light to who they're likely targeting in the second round.

Without further ado, let's make like Doctor Strange with the Time Stone and look into the future to detail the potential best- and worst-case scenarios for the Cowboys in the second round.

BEST CASE:Taylor Rapp, S, Washington

A 4.74 40 could lead to the Cowboys stealing an outstanding talent. If not for Rapp's poor showing in the 40-yard dash, there was a chance he could sneak into the late first round.

The 40 time will scare teams off because it comes below the typical threshold (4.7) most use for safeties, but the times that are most applicable to the field are the three-cone and short-shuttle drills, in which he tested into the 79th and 92nd percentiles (respectively) among safeties since 2011, according to MockDraftable. These agility drills test one's quickness, flexibility and change-of-direction ability, which are used much more frequently on the field than one's ability to run 40 yards in a straight line.

On the field, Rapp truly is a difference-maker in the box. He is a true asset against the run, possessing linebacker-like qualities to go with a defensive back's size and quickness.

Love me some Taylor Rapp pic.twitter.com/hyQkcTehP7 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 25, 2019

Despite not aligning in the box on every snap, Rapp does an excellent job of reading blocking schemes and identifying running lanes, enabling him to flow play-side and outpace blocks working to the second level. His quickness and change-of-direction ability aid him in avoiding blocks as he flows to ball carriers.

Rapp also is an outstanding backside pursuit defender, as his outstanding acceleration and quickness allow him to chase running backs down.

Rapp's such a sound and reliable tackler in open space. Lines up in another dimension but does well to prevent a big gain from becoming a TD. pic.twitter.com/b7h7Byli27 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) March 26, 2019

When arriving at the ball carrier, he understands when he can lay the wood vs. when he needs to wrap up. On top of that, he plays very balanced at the tackle point, putting himself in proper position to react quickly and bring ball carriers down in the open field. That is evidenced by the fact he missed just two tackles in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.

Rapp is one of the most reliable tacklers in this draft.

Taylor Rapp blanketing the crosser against ASU. He doesn't get enough credit for his coverage ability in the slot and box. pic.twitter.com/Ql1bdtVnnr — John Owning (@JohnOwning) April 18, 2019

Not only do his football intelligence and quick processing ability allow him to be effective against the run, they also enable him to be very effective against the pass. Rapp's route recognition is top-notch, as his ability to anticipate makes him a playmaker against the pass (two interceptions, five passes deflected in 2018).

He's outstanding in shallow zone coverage and displays the physicality necessary to match tight ends and big slot receivers in man coverage.

Rapp's suspect long speed diminishes his range from deep safety alignments, as he lacks the sustained burst to affect passes to the outside. Luckily for the Cowboys, they already have a safety who thrives from deep alignments, as Xavier Woods proved to be one of the better young deep safeties in the NFL last season.

Unlike Jeff Heath, Rapp is the kind of safety who covers holes up on defense rather than making them worse, serving as an impactful run defender and an eraser in coverage from the box. He would be the most talented strong safety on the Cowboys' roster from the moment he arrives at The Star.

Rapp is the best-case scenario for Dallas because he not only fills a need at starting strong safety, but he also can be a true difference-maker for the defense.

WORST CASE:Jaylon Ferguson, DE, Louisiana Tech

Whereas fans should be celebrating in the streets if the Cowboys come away with Rapp in the second round, their reaction should be the opposite if Louisiana Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson is the pick.

This isn't to say he's a bad player -- he's not -- it just means that his skill set and athletic profile don't provide enough value to be considered in the second round.

Ferguson is the FBS record holder for career sacks (45), but most of those came against overmatched offensive linemen in Conference USA, where he took advantage of their poor pass sets, hand placement, footwork and timing. When Ferguson practiced and played against high-level competition at the Senior Bowl, he struggled and was noticeably quiet throughout the week.

Here’s the Jaylon Ferguson 3-Cone footage via @PatrickClaybon.



This is his SEVENTH attempt after several slips.



Yikers.pic.twitter.com/0bJosSiZKq — Carter Donnick (@CDonScouting) March 20, 2019

His pre-draft process hit a low point at his pro day, where he posted all-time bad times in the three-cone (8.08) and short-shuttle (5.12) drills, arguably the two timed drills that are most important for edge defenders.

For comparison's sake, the worst three-cone time that had been posted by an edge defender since 1999 was 7.98 seconds (by Da'Shawn Hand, who also played a lot of defensive tackle), according to MockDraftable's database. The worst short shuttle was Kevin Williams' 5.04, in 2003.

The fact that Ferguson was about a tenth of a second slower in each drill is not a good sign, considering his No. 1 job in the NFL will be to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Athleticism isn't everything, but it certainly matters in a race to the quarterback.

Unfortunately, his dismal athletic testing is confirmed on tape, where Ferguson lacks the ability to effectively corner at the apex of his rush without softening the edge considerably. His poor speed and lack of lower-body pliability limit his chances to win on the outside rush track off the edge in the NFL. Furthermore, Ferguson's inability to win with speed off the edge will allow opposing offensive tackles to sit on his power and inside counters, making it even tougher for him to produce.

Lot of eyes on @LATechFB EDGE Jaylon Ferguson (@JayFerguson45) next week @seniorbowl - look at the strength with the long arm off the snap here 😤 pic.twitter.com/851jatoTGC — Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) January 15, 2019

On the positive end of the spectrum, he does possess notable power in his hands that he can use to soften edges and beat blocks. Ferguson does his best work when he's playing through an opponent's pads, using his powerful hands to manipulate the balance and weight distribution of blockers. His best path to success as a pass rusher will be by converting speed to power. Ferguson also does a good job of changing the tempo of his rushes to keep blockers off balance.

The Cowboys have shown a lot of interest in Ferguson, and there were even rumors that Jerry Jones flew in to watch him work out at Louisiana Tech pro day. Additionally, Ferguson was a national pre-draft visitor, one of a possible 30 prospects from outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area who the Cowboys could invite to The Star to meet with team personnel.

Break through the veil of Ferguson's 45 career sacks and you will see a player whose skill set isn't good enough to override the abysmal three-cone and short-shuttle times, which is why it'd be foolish to draft him in the second round (I gave him a fourth-round grade). The Cowboys don't need a defensive end right now, so there's no reason to reach for Ferguson at pick No. 58.

Reaching for a player at a position of need is bad enough; reaching for a player at a position that isn't an immediate need is the worst-case scenario.

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Twitter: @JohnOwning