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Cowboys’ complete 7-round mock draft addressing 9 different positions
By Jon Machota 3h ago
The Cowboys now know where all nine of their picks will be in next month’s NFL Draft. They have one in each of the first four rounds, four in the fifth and one in the sixth. Some bargain free-agent moves could still take place before the draft starts on April 28, but for the most part, the current roster shows what areas they should be targeting.
The biggest needs are offensive line, wide receiver and defensive end. To see what might be available for Dallas with all nine of its picks, we jumped on TheDraftNetwork.com’s mock draft simulator. While the site filled in a projection for the 31 other teams, we made each of the picks for the Cowboys.
Here are the results.
First round, No. 24 overall: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M
The favorite to be the pick here is an offensive lineman. Defensive end and wide receiver would make sense too if Dallas was picking a little higher. But unfortunately for the Cowboys, No. 24 just seems too far down to be able to get one of the top edge rushers or wide receivers. When this selection was made, the top five edge rushers were gone (all by Pick 19). The sixth one, Boye Mafe, went 28th to the Green Bay Packers. Same story at wide receiver. Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Drake London and Treylon Burks also were all gone by 24.
In regards to the offensive linemen, four offensive tackles, guard Zion Johnson and center Tyler Linderbaum were already picked. So this selection came down to Green, Mafe, Utah LB Devin Lloyd, Georgia LB Nakobe Dean and Penn State WR Jahan Dotson. The Cowboys have shown over the last two drafts that they won’t force addressing their biggest needs in the first round. And that’s worked out well as they’ve landed CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. But if things are close, leaning toward addressing the offensive line makes sense after how disappointing the group played last year and the glaring hole at left guard.
Green could immediately step into the starting left guard spot and potentially move out to tackle later in his career if needed. If not, Dallas would at least appear to have a very good player at left guard for a while. Cowboys offensive line coach Joe Philbin attended Texas A&M’s pro day last week. The Cowboys appear to be very interested in Green, who started at four positions along the offensive line last season for the Aggies.
Second round, No. 56 overall: John Metchie, WR, Alabama
With Amari Cooper being traded to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month, wide receiver has become a notable position of need in Dallas. The Cowboys felt like Cooper’s $20 million per year salary was no longer worth it, so the issue is now finding a replacement. Michael Gallup was re-signed and James Washington was added on a one-year deal. Along with Lamb, Dallas has three players at the position who could all start, but another starting-caliber player is needed out of this draft class. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to happen in the first or second round, but Metchie seemed like an intriguing fit as a player who can line up inside and outside. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy would like all of their starting wide receivers to be able to line up at multiple spots.
The biggest issue with Metchie is that he’s recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Alabama’s SEC Championship Game win over Georgia. He said at the combine that he expects to be cleared to return by June, just in time for training camp. Metchie (5-11, 187) caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games last season. He caught 55 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. A combination of Lamb, Gallup and Metchie looks pretty good on paper for the foreseeable future. The Cowboys have shown that they will not hesitate when it comes to spending their second-round pick on a player who slips because of injury concerns.
Third round, No. 88 overall: Sam Williams, DE, Ole Miss
Williams has been connected with the Cowboys recently after he said at his pro day that Dallas has been on him “a lot.” The 6-4, 260-pound Williams had four forced fumbles, 13 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 13 games last season for the Rebels. After losing starting right defensive end Randy Gregory to the Denver Broncos in free agency, the Cowboys re-signed Dorance Armstrong and added 2015 top-five pick Dante Fowler on a one-year deal. Those two combine with starting left defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and reserves Tarell Basham and Chauncey Golston to round out the team’s current defensive end depth chart. At least one player is needed at the position out of this draft class and the earlier they address it, the better.
Sure, Parsons, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, could help rushing off the edge, but the Cowboys would prefer to keep him in his do-a-little-of-everything role from last year.
Fourth round, No. 129 overall: Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
Cornerback is far from their biggest need, but this just seemed like too good of a value to pass up for the Cowboys. Trevon Diggs, Kelvin Joseph, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis and Nahshon Wright provide good depth at the position. But Brown is entering the final year of his deal and Lewis has a potential out in his contract following the 2022 season. Teams need at least three quality corners in today’s NFL, so adding one at some point isn’t the worst idea.
Bryant, who is 6-1, 193 pounds with 30 5/8-inch arms, had nine interceptions and 35 pass deflections in four seasons as a starter.
Fifth round, No. 155 overall: Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
The Packers had quite a bit of success finding starting offensive linemen in the fourth and fifth rounds during McCarthy’s time as their head coach. The Cowboys used a fourth-round pick on Marshall offensive tackle Josh Ball last season. Look for Dallas to target another tackle at some point in this draft, especially after releasing La’el Collins and factoring in that Tyron Smith has missed 32 games over the past six seasons because of various injuries.
Mitchell (6-6, 307) was a three-year starter with experience at both left and right tackle. The Cowboys don’t have much depth at tackle behind Smith and Terence Steele. Mitchell could immediately battle with Ball for the swing tackle spot and potentially one of the two could become a starter down the road.
Fifth round, No. 167 overall: Damone Clark, LB, LSU
The current depth chart at linebacker consists of Parsons, Jabril Cox, Leighton Vander Esch and Luke Gifford. Dallas will likely draft another linebacker. Clark (6-3, 240) seemed like a good value at this point. He had spinal fusion surgery last week after an MRI at the combine revealed a herniated disk, the NFL Network reported. He’ll most likely miss the 2022 season. If the Cowboys medical staff is confident that Clark will make a full recovery, this could end up being a risk worth taking.
Clark put up impressive numbers during his senior season at LSU, totaling 135 tackles (fourth-most single-season total in school history), 15 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles.
Fifth round, No. 176 overall: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan
Ezekiel Elliott could be facing a similar situation as Cooper and Collins next offseason if the Cowboys choose to get out of his significant contract. Tony Pollard is in the final year of his rookie deal. Dallas will likely be in need of some running back help next season. Adding a player like Haskins late in this year’s draft could provide immediate depth and a bigger contributor next season.
Haskins (6-2, 230) used his physical running style to rush 270 times for 1,327 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 20 touchdowns last season for the Wolverines.
Fifth round, No. 178 overall: Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M
Tight end is enough of a need that this might be too late to address it. If Dalton Schultz works out a long-term extension with the Cowboys, the need isn’t as noteworthy. But that might not happen until closer to the July 15 franchise tag deadline. What if Schultz ends up playing under the one-year tag and leaves next year in free agency? Dallas would be pretty thin at the position. The depth chart behind Schultz is Sean McKeon, Jeremy Sprinkle and Ian Bunting. It would be surprising if the Cowboys don’t draft a tight end.
Wydermyer (6-4, 255) has been consistent over the past three years, averaging 40 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns per season. However, his recent 40-yard dash time (5.03 seconds) at the Texas A&M pro day could really hurt his draft stock.
Sixth round, No. 193 overall: Cade York, K, LSU
The Cowboys were hopeful that they’d be able to re-sign Greg Zuerlein after releasing him earlier this month. Not that such a move would have instantly fixed their kicking issues from a year ago. But the veteran kicker signed with the New York Jets on Saturday. This seems like as good a time as ever for the Cowboys to draft a kicker. They haven’t done so since 2009 when they selected David Buehler in the fifth round (Pick 172).
York is arguably the best kicker in this draft class. The McKinney, Texas, native made 54 of 66 (82 percent) field goals during his three seasons with the Tigers. He was 98 percent on extra points. If the Cowboys don’t draft a kicker, the position could end up being filled by signing several undrafted free agents to compete for the job in training camp. Following the 2011 draft, Dallas signed undrafted kicker Dan Bailey, who competed with veterans like Buehler, Shayne Graham and Dave Rayner. Bailey won the job and ended up being excellent for the next six seasons.
By Jon Machota 3h ago
The Cowboys now know where all nine of their picks will be in next month’s NFL Draft. They have one in each of the first four rounds, four in the fifth and one in the sixth. Some bargain free-agent moves could still take place before the draft starts on April 28, but for the most part, the current roster shows what areas they should be targeting.
The biggest needs are offensive line, wide receiver and defensive end. To see what might be available for Dallas with all nine of its picks, we jumped on TheDraftNetwork.com’s mock draft simulator. While the site filled in a projection for the 31 other teams, we made each of the picks for the Cowboys.
Here are the results.
First round, No. 24 overall: Kenyon Green, OG, Texas A&M
The favorite to be the pick here is an offensive lineman. Defensive end and wide receiver would make sense too if Dallas was picking a little higher. But unfortunately for the Cowboys, No. 24 just seems too far down to be able to get one of the top edge rushers or wide receivers. When this selection was made, the top five edge rushers were gone (all by Pick 19). The sixth one, Boye Mafe, went 28th to the Green Bay Packers. Same story at wide receiver. Jameson Williams, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Drake London and Treylon Burks also were all gone by 24.
In regards to the offensive linemen, four offensive tackles, guard Zion Johnson and center Tyler Linderbaum were already picked. So this selection came down to Green, Mafe, Utah LB Devin Lloyd, Georgia LB Nakobe Dean and Penn State WR Jahan Dotson. The Cowboys have shown over the last two drafts that they won’t force addressing their biggest needs in the first round. And that’s worked out well as they’ve landed CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. But if things are close, leaning toward addressing the offensive line makes sense after how disappointing the group played last year and the glaring hole at left guard.
Green could immediately step into the starting left guard spot and potentially move out to tackle later in his career if needed. If not, Dallas would at least appear to have a very good player at left guard for a while. Cowboys offensive line coach Joe Philbin attended Texas A&M’s pro day last week. The Cowboys appear to be very interested in Green, who started at four positions along the offensive line last season for the Aggies.
Second round, No. 56 overall: John Metchie, WR, Alabama
With Amari Cooper being traded to the Cleveland Browns earlier this month, wide receiver has become a notable position of need in Dallas. The Cowboys felt like Cooper’s $20 million per year salary was no longer worth it, so the issue is now finding a replacement. Michael Gallup was re-signed and James Washington was added on a one-year deal. Along with Lamb, Dallas has three players at the position who could all start, but another starting-caliber player is needed out of this draft class. That doesn’t necessarily mean it has to happen in the first or second round, but Metchie seemed like an intriguing fit as a player who can line up inside and outside. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy would like all of their starting wide receivers to be able to line up at multiple spots.
The biggest issue with Metchie is that he’s recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in Alabama’s SEC Championship Game win over Georgia. He said at the combine that he expects to be cleared to return by June, just in time for training camp. Metchie (5-11, 187) caught 96 passes for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games last season. He caught 55 passes for 916 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. A combination of Lamb, Gallup and Metchie looks pretty good on paper for the foreseeable future. The Cowboys have shown that they will not hesitate when it comes to spending their second-round pick on a player who slips because of injury concerns.
Third round, No. 88 overall: Sam Williams, DE, Ole Miss
Williams has been connected with the Cowboys recently after he said at his pro day that Dallas has been on him “a lot.” The 6-4, 260-pound Williams had four forced fumbles, 13 sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 13 games last season for the Rebels. After losing starting right defensive end Randy Gregory to the Denver Broncos in free agency, the Cowboys re-signed Dorance Armstrong and added 2015 top-five pick Dante Fowler on a one-year deal. Those two combine with starting left defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and reserves Tarell Basham and Chauncey Golston to round out the team’s current defensive end depth chart. At least one player is needed at the position out of this draft class and the earlier they address it, the better.
Sure, Parsons, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, could help rushing off the edge, but the Cowboys would prefer to keep him in his do-a-little-of-everything role from last year.
Fourth round, No. 129 overall: Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
Cornerback is far from their biggest need, but this just seemed like too good of a value to pass up for the Cowboys. Trevon Diggs, Kelvin Joseph, Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis and Nahshon Wright provide good depth at the position. But Brown is entering the final year of his deal and Lewis has a potential out in his contract following the 2022 season. Teams need at least three quality corners in today’s NFL, so adding one at some point isn’t the worst idea.
Bryant, who is 6-1, 193 pounds with 30 5/8-inch arms, had nine interceptions and 35 pass deflections in four seasons as a starter.
Fifth round, No. 155 overall: Max Mitchell, OT, Louisiana
The Packers had quite a bit of success finding starting offensive linemen in the fourth and fifth rounds during McCarthy’s time as their head coach. The Cowboys used a fourth-round pick on Marshall offensive tackle Josh Ball last season. Look for Dallas to target another tackle at some point in this draft, especially after releasing La’el Collins and factoring in that Tyron Smith has missed 32 games over the past six seasons because of various injuries.
Mitchell (6-6, 307) was a three-year starter with experience at both left and right tackle. The Cowboys don’t have much depth at tackle behind Smith and Terence Steele. Mitchell could immediately battle with Ball for the swing tackle spot and potentially one of the two could become a starter down the road.
Fifth round, No. 167 overall: Damone Clark, LB, LSU
The current depth chart at linebacker consists of Parsons, Jabril Cox, Leighton Vander Esch and Luke Gifford. Dallas will likely draft another linebacker. Clark (6-3, 240) seemed like a good value at this point. He had spinal fusion surgery last week after an MRI at the combine revealed a herniated disk, the NFL Network reported. He’ll most likely miss the 2022 season. If the Cowboys medical staff is confident that Clark will make a full recovery, this could end up being a risk worth taking.
Clark put up impressive numbers during his senior season at LSU, totaling 135 tackles (fourth-most single-season total in school history), 15 tackles for loss, 5 1/2 sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles.
Fifth round, No. 176 overall: Hassan Haskins, RB, Michigan
Ezekiel Elliott could be facing a similar situation as Cooper and Collins next offseason if the Cowboys choose to get out of his significant contract. Tony Pollard is in the final year of his rookie deal. Dallas will likely be in need of some running back help next season. Adding a player like Haskins late in this year’s draft could provide immediate depth and a bigger contributor next season.
Haskins (6-2, 230) used his physical running style to rush 270 times for 1,327 yards (4.9 yards per carry) and 20 touchdowns last season for the Wolverines.
Fifth round, No. 178 overall: Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M
Tight end is enough of a need that this might be too late to address it. If Dalton Schultz works out a long-term extension with the Cowboys, the need isn’t as noteworthy. But that might not happen until closer to the July 15 franchise tag deadline. What if Schultz ends up playing under the one-year tag and leaves next year in free agency? Dallas would be pretty thin at the position. The depth chart behind Schultz is Sean McKeon, Jeremy Sprinkle and Ian Bunting. It would be surprising if the Cowboys don’t draft a tight end.
Wydermyer (6-4, 255) has been consistent over the past three years, averaging 40 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns per season. However, his recent 40-yard dash time (5.03 seconds) at the Texas A&M pro day could really hurt his draft stock.
Sixth round, No. 193 overall: Cade York, K, LSU
The Cowboys were hopeful that they’d be able to re-sign Greg Zuerlein after releasing him earlier this month. Not that such a move would have instantly fixed their kicking issues from a year ago. But the veteran kicker signed with the New York Jets on Saturday. This seems like as good a time as ever for the Cowboys to draft a kicker. They haven’t done so since 2009 when they selected David Buehler in the fifth round (Pick 172).
York is arguably the best kicker in this draft class. The McKinney, Texas, native made 54 of 66 (82 percent) field goals during his three seasons with the Tigers. He was 98 percent on extra points. If the Cowboys don’t draft a kicker, the position could end up being filled by signing several undrafted free agents to compete for the job in training camp. Following the 2011 draft, Dallas signed undrafted kicker Dan Bailey, who competed with veterans like Buehler, Shayne Graham and Dave Rayner. Bailey won the job and ended up being excellent for the next six seasons.
