NoDak
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Why would he be a pipe dream? That would imply that he's wanted. If people didn't want him drafted at 17 a month ago, why would they now? He's still the same player.
2020 Draft Big Boards, Position Rankings & Mocks
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jsmith6919
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Yep, I still don't want him at 17, everybody being locked down has made everyone adjust their rankings over and over out of boredom and their petcats end up being higher ranked every time
jsmith6919
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I mean ffs anyone would have been rightfully mocked for projecting Diggs at 17 before this and yet because he's Bobby Belts petcat here we are
NoDak
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Depending who is gone, I wouldn't mind Henderson at 17. I think he's worth the pick. Now, I wouldn't want him taken if say, KInlaw or Chaisson is there. But I think Henderson is going to be a very good player in the league. And aside from the general feelings about CBs on this board, you need good corners to win in this league.
jsmith6919
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I won't bitch(much) if he's the pick if Kinlaw, Chaisson, McKinney are gone but I damn sure will if it's one of the other cb's without a tradedown
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I actually tend to think the media gets a better feel for what teams think of players as the draft approaches. Henderson shut a lot of good WRs down. I think teams have been higher on him than people realized. Plus he is clearly the second best corner in this draft and need will dictate some how high he goes.
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Kinlaw I agree but I see some serious issues with Chaisson so I won't be upset if we pass on him. He has a lot of upside but I also think he has a lot of bust potential.
Simpleton
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You could say the exact same thing about Henderson. I think he's a prime example of teams falling in love with the athleticism they see and thinking they can get him to play with better technique/discipline, which I feel is a very risky proposition.
NoDak
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I'm not going to be upset if we pass on him, either. I see no point. I have players I like more than others, just like anybody else. But there is a decent sized group of players that would be fine in the first round. Unless we take some obvious reach, I don't see any point in raising my blood pressure over it.
GShock
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I think they like Chaisson and Henderson, but recognize they are unlikely to get them at 17 and unwilling to trade up.
I think the rest of the names that are mentioned - Diggs, Murray, McKinney - are the targets if Love is still on the board and they trade down, or worst case, are unwilling to move down for the trade being offered and have to pick at 17 with Chaisson and Henderson gone.
Stasheroo
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That's a distinct possibility. And if that's the case, they don't like either guy that much.
Agreed again. I definitely think McKinney is in play as option #3, I hope that Murray isn't (nothing against the player, just reinvesting in the position again with such a draft commodity). But the closer we get to the draft, the more and more I'm hearing about how they like Diggs. I like him too, but even I think that pick #17 is too rich.
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Combo mock draft: Two different Cowboys scenarios — this time, with trades
By Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf 23m ago
In our previous double mock drafts, The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf used TheDraftNetwork.com to help simulate what might be available for the Dallas Cowboys in all seven rounds of this year’s NFL Draft.
To switch things up, they logged on to Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator and adjusted their settings so that both faced similar scenarios. Then, they each conducted a first-round trade. For this exercise, Machota traded up in Round 1 while Yousuf traded down from Dallas’ current spot at No. 17 overall.
Here’s how all seven rounds played out for each.
JON’S PICKS:
First round, No. 15 overall: K’Lavon Chaisson, edge, LSU
I went into the simulator looking for some way to get ahead of the Falcons at pick 16. In 2017, the Cowboys had interest in UCLA pass rusher Takkarist McKinley. Atlanta picked McKinley two spots before Dallas went on the clock and ended up taking Taco Charlton. Several mock drafts have had Atlanta taking Chaisson one pick before the Cowboys go on the clock at 17 this year. To get the pass rusher who makes a lot of sense for Dallas, I floated out some trade offers. The closest recent comparison to this situation happened in 2015, when the Chargers had the 17th pick and traded up two spots with the 49ers. The Chargers ended up getting the 15th pick at the cost of their first (17th overall) and fourth (117) in that year’s draft and their fifth-round pick (142) in the next year’s draft. The Chargers ended up taking two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon at 15. The 49ers ended up getting starting defensive lineman Arik Armstead (17), reserve tight end Blake Bell (117) and reserve defensive lineman Ronald Blair (142).
The Broncos currently own the 15th pick. To get that selection, we both eventually agreed on the Cowboys giving up 17 and next year’s fourth-round pick. I didn’t want to part with much, if anything, in this year’s draft. Considering that Dallas should get several valuable compensatory picks next year after losing players like Byron Jones, Robert Quinn and Randall Cobb, it made more sense to part with the future fourth, and it seemed like a great investment to get the player I really wanted.
When on the clock at 15, Chaisson and Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson were the top two available targets. Having worked with the PFF simulator several times over the last week, I knew I could stay at 17 and probably still get Chaisson. But for the sake of this exercise, this seems like a realistic scenario that the Cowboys could entertain next Thursday.
Drafting Chaisson would give Dallas a player it could immediately get production from rushing the passer from the right side, opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. It would also mean the Cowboys wouldn’t be forced to count as much on potential contributions from Aldon Smith or Randy Gregory. Pass rusher and cornerback make the most sense at 17, and in this scenario, the Cowboys fill arguably their biggest need with a prospect who has a lot of upside.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Yetur Gross-Matos, edge, Penn State.
This was not an option I was expecting to be on the table. After trading up to select an edge rusher at 15, I figured I’d end up spending this pick on a defensive back. The best options on the board outside of Gross-Matos were Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, Lenior-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger, Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn and Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Gross-Matos is a 6-5, 266-pound prospect who has been going in the late first or early second round in most mock drafts. During his last two seasons at Penn State, as a sophomore and junior, he averaged 17 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks per season. The value seems like it would be too good to pass up at this point. The Cowboys’ edge-rushing situation would improve significantly if Chaisson and Gross-Matos ended up being their first two picks.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.
Having not improved the secondary with either of the first two picks, this seemed like a good spot to finally add a corner or safety. Chinn was still available and one of the top overall remaining players. Florida edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet were also considered with this pick. In regards to cornerback, the top options were Michigan State’s Josiah Scott, Iowa’s Michael Ojemudia, UCLA’s Darnay Holmes and Auburn’s Javaris Davis. Greenard was given a lot of thought, but it didn’t seem realistic to have the Cowboys go with an edge rusher for the third consecutive pick. Chinn fills a need on the back end with starting safeties Xavier Woods and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix set to become free agents next offseason.
Fourth round, No. 123 overall: Jonathan Greenard, DE, Florida.
Well, at this point, this is just too good of a player to pass up. Many have projected Greenard to be a second-round pick. The Cowboys would be thrilled if this happened. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and new defensive line coach Jim Tomsula would have a ton to work with if they somehow came out of this draft with Chaisson, Gross-Matos and Greenard, who had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season at Florida. In Dane Brugler’s latest seven-round mock draft, Greenard went to the Dolphins at pick 56. Other top options at this pick included Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant, Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu and Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor. The top remaining corners were Ojemudia and Davis.
Fifth round, No. 164 overall: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa.
There was a little risk taken here. Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was the best available player on my board. UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi was also still out there. Knowing that I’d be going on the clock again in 15 picks, I rolled the dice and went with a position of greater need. Brugler had the Cardinals taking Ojemudia at Pick 131 in his most recent mock draft. The Cowboys need corner help out of this draft. It’s more likely that they take one within the first three rounds than wait until the fifth. But getting Ojemudia here is great value. He has good size (6-1, 200) and speed (4.45 40-yard dash), and he intercepted six passes over the last two seasons.
Fifth round, No. 179 overall: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri.
The gamble paid off. There were other needs more important than tight end, but Okwuegbunam is too good of a player to pass up at 179. The Cowboys signed Blake Bell to help make up for the loss of Jason Witten, but there’s no question they still can afford to upgrade at the position. The 6’5, 258-pound Okwuegbunam had 23 touchdown catches in three seasons in college. He might never end up being a star, but the potential upside is intriguing, especially at this point in the draft.
Seventh round, No. 231 overall: James Proche, WR, SMU.
This continues to be a popular choice for the Cowboys with their final selection. Proche was far too productive at SMU to still be available at this point. This was an easy pick that combined value and an area of need. Other options available at this pick: Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson, Ole Miss defensive tackle Benito Jones, Georgia guard Solomon Kindley and FIU quarterback James Morgan.
Overall, the Cowboys end up addressing several of their top needs. Although they didn’t get another defensive tackle to plug up the middle, I think they’d be just fine if they ended up with three outstanding edge-rushing prospects. In a perfect world, a top corner would have still been there in the second or third. In regards to the trade up, losing a fourth next year to land the player you want most makes a lot of sense. If they believe Chaisson is the perfect complement to DeMarcus Lawrence, that move is worth it. I could have gone with Florida CB C.J. Henderson there as well, which would have provided more overall balance to this class, but there’s no way I would have projected Gross-Matos and Greenard to still be there when they were.
SAAD’S PICKS:
First round, No. 19 overall: K’Lavon Chaisson, edge, LSU.
Sitting at No. 17, I watched as players flew off the board, and there were a couple of names that I had a close eye on: One was Javon Kinlaw and another was C.J. Henderson. They were selected back to back at No. 14 and No. 15, respectively. When the clock was ticking at No. 17, I was debating whether or not I should take Auburn’s Derrick Brown or LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson. Brown is a very talented player, but given the signings of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, Chaisson may fill a position of greater need. I would be happy with either player, and so before I made my decision, I checked to see if any team wanted to trade with me.
Las Vegas was looking to make a small jump from No. 19 to No. 17. Along with No. 17, I offered my 2021 sixth-round pick to move down to No. 19 and get No. 81 in this draft. The trade was rejected. I replaced it with my 2021 fifth-round pick. The trade was rejected again. Semi-reluctantly, I packaged both my 2021 fifth and sixth round picks with No. 17 and moved down to No. 19, gaining No. 81 in the deal. The trade was accepted, and business was buzzing.
The Raiders took Brown at No. 17, where he represented too much value to pass up. After Miami took tackle Josh Jones at No. 18, my choice was made for me with Vegas’ pick: I took Chaisson at No. 19. There was no cornerback worth taking here, and the only player in the secondary worth consideration was Alabama safety Xavier McKinney. However, the Cowboys just acquired a former Alabama safety — I’m talking about free agency signing of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, of course. He’s not a permanent solution nor an all-world talent, but neither is McKinney. Given this is the fourth edition of our mock drafts, you know my philosophy has been to solidify the defensive front, if at all possible. Chaisson helps make that happen.
Some semblance of a defensive line rotation featuring McCoy, Poe, Chaisson, DeMarcus Lawrence, Antwaun Woods, Tyrone Crawford and perhaps even Randy Gregory or Aldon Smith (or both) should give the pass rush a much-needed boost. The run defense might be a bit shoddy at times, but in a passing league, you can make do with that if your coaching staff can patch up a game plan for a week or so. With a new regime, it’s possible. But a good pass rush is vital because it also helps the secondary in a way that no other defensive back available at No. 19 could on his own.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State.
Cornerback is still obviously a need. and Arnette is good value at No. 51. He’s capable of playing inside or out, which means in Dallas, he’ll be playing outside opposite of Chidobe Awuzie. The Cowboys have a cluster of cornerbacks who, as a whole, can best be characterized as a spare tire. It’s not pretty, but when the secondary is as unsettled as the Cowboys’ is looking to be, there isn’t one player they have a realistic shot at in this draft – no, Jeffrey Okudah is not realistic – who could make a difference.
Arnette played opposite of Okudah and held up his end of the bargain despite getting plenty of work from opposing offenses. Though not as big as Chase Young and Okudah, Arnette was still a significant reason why the Ohio State defense was elite in 2019.
Third round, No. 81 overall: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.
Remember that pick I got for trading back a couple of spots? Seems pretty worth it right now. If I could have only had Derrick Brown at No. 17 or I could wind up with Chaisson and Chinn coming out of this draft at the expense of a couple of Day 3 picks next year, give me the latter scenario all day long.
I know that Chinn played FCS football at Southern Illinois, but if you turn on the tape, the movements and plays he makes are more about him and his abilities than whatever the opposition is doing. He’s a big body, but more than anything, Chinn is a playmaker. He has the ability to go get the football, evidenced by his four interceptions in 2019 and three apiece in the three seasons prior to that. That’s something the Cowboys have been lacking for far too long.
Third round, No. 88 overall: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa.
Call it bad fortune or whatever, but in the 10 picks ahead of me at No. 81, K.J. Hill, Michael Pittman Jr. and Chase Claypool all went off of the board. After taking Chinn at No. 81, I was hoping to address the need at slot receiver, but nothing really made me jump. This was an area rich at running back, guards and quarterback. If I wasn’t picking from those positions, I’d be reaching, so I thought it would be best to let a few other teams clear out that cluster and pick up an asset along the way. I moved back from No. 82 to No. 88, giving the New Orleans Saints my seventh-round pick in 2021 as well while getting No. 130 in this draft for my trouble.
These are back-to-back picks for me that emphasize getting the ball when it’s in the air. Aside from the fact that Chinn plays a different position, Ojemudia and Chinn are also different in physicality. Ojemudia is not going to be dependable to lay a big hit or bring down an opposing playmaker in space – that’s something that whatever team drafts him is going to have to accept – but he’s somebody who can cover the opposing wide receivers, and that’s a cornerback’s job.
He led Iowa in interceptions and pass breakups last year and gives the Cowboys an additional option at cornerback. One additional perk of this pick is how it affects the roster. If Ojemudia can prove to be a decent option and go toe-to-toe with Awuzie, maybe he allows the Cowboys to try out Awuzie at safety and pair Ojemudia up with Arnette on the outside.
Fourth round, No. 123 overall: Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU.
Devin Duvernay went off the board at No. 120 to the Jets, so make that the second time this draft I wanted to address the wide receiver position but was beaten to the punch. Instead, I got some help for the offense in another way for when Mike McCarthy wants to bust out the two-tight end sets.
Moss played with likely top overall pick, Joe Burrow, in LSU’s high-flying offense last year, so his play-making abilities and hands are easy to spot on tape. The LSU offense was designed in a way to benefit anybody with talent in the passing attack and Moss has that talent. However, his blocking ability is pretty underrated. I think he can come to the Cowboys and instantly emerge as the most complete tight end on the roster, unless Blake Jarwin has made some huge strides in the run-blocking area of his game. That doesn’t mean Moss takes over the top spot — Jarwin is the No. 1 tight end; his contract and production make that obvious — but Moss can bring a whole different dynamic to the offense by allowing McCarthy to go with two tight ends in case of injury to other Dallas playmakers or exposing a matchup.
Fourth round, No. 130 overall: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
This is arguably my most consistent pick in the mock drafts we have done. If I can get my hands on Blackmon at the right value in this draft, I’m doing it. He is flying under the radar due to a late-season injury that I think he’ll recover from just fine. Waiting this late to get a talent like him mitigates that risk. He’s a versatile player who can play all five positions in the secondary. He played cornerback most of his time at Utah, only making the switch to safety last season. With the switch, he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors with 60 tackles, four pass breakups, a couple of forced fumbles and a team-high four interceptions.
He seems to be a coaching staff’s dream player in the sense that you can have him be ready at both safety positions along with inside and outside cornerback, or you can just see how he fares in camp and preseason and decide where you want to place him and where he can thrive in your system. In the absolute worst-case scenario that he doesn’t translate to the NFL on defense, he’s enough of a pure football player to become a core special teamer.
Fifth round, No. 164 overall: Jonathan Garvin, Edge, Miami.
This pick is all dependent on which version of Garvin your coaching staff can dig out. Is it going to be 2018 Garvin, who had 60 tackles (17 of them for loss), two fumble recoveries and 5.5 sacks? Or is it going to be what is most fresh in everybody’s memory, the 2019 campaign of 37 tackles (nine for loss) two forced fumbles and five sacks?
Questions have been raised about his effort, which seems kind of traumatizing for the Cowboys at this position given the Trysten Hill experience isn’t even a year old. But this isn’t a second-round pick, so the gamble is worth it. Production aside, he has the physical tools to be a solid rotational pass rusher. Can Jim Tomsula and co. get it out of him?
Fifth round, No. 179 overall: Malcolm Roach, DL, Texas.
If Garvin has the talent but is questionable on character, Roach is the opposite. All of the reviews of his work ethic and coachability are fantastic but watching a lot of Big 12 football the last few years, he never really jumps off the screen. That being said, the question as to what kind of scheme exactly the new regime will implement gives Roach a chance. I think in a 4-3, he can be a solid interior defender, but in a 3-4, I don’t know if he belongs on the field. He played on a three-man defensive front at Texas and was unable to move the line of scrimmage.
Seventh round, No. 231 overall: James Proche, WR, SMU.
Can a seventh-round pick be the future of the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver spot? The guy who held down the fort for much of the past decade was undrafted (out of SMU, no less) and cashed in big with the Bills, so it’s possible. Additionally, Proche being available in the seventh round is great value given that NFL draft guru Dane Brugler has a fourth-round grade on him.
The production at SMU speaks for itself: He caught 204 passes for 2,424 yards and 27 touchdowns in his last two seasons. He has a lot of work to do to polish his game, but being in the room with Amari Cooper should help in that department, especially with his route-running.
Overall, this draft has quality and quantity. By trading down twice, I got two more players and addressed some of the biggest positions of need without reaching too much. Wide receiver is a slight concern, but ultimately, the Cowboys would feel good about a draft that has this many potential starters on defense, a reliable offensive weapon and a few projects along the way.
By Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf 23m ago
In our previous double mock drafts, The Athletic’s Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf used TheDraftNetwork.com to help simulate what might be available for the Dallas Cowboys in all seven rounds of this year’s NFL Draft.
To switch things up, they logged on to Pro Football Focus’ mock draft simulator and adjusted their settings so that both faced similar scenarios. Then, they each conducted a first-round trade. For this exercise, Machota traded up in Round 1 while Yousuf traded down from Dallas’ current spot at No. 17 overall.
Here’s how all seven rounds played out for each.
JON’S PICKS:
First round, No. 15 overall: K’Lavon Chaisson, edge, LSU
I went into the simulator looking for some way to get ahead of the Falcons at pick 16. In 2017, the Cowboys had interest in UCLA pass rusher Takkarist McKinley. Atlanta picked McKinley two spots before Dallas went on the clock and ended up taking Taco Charlton. Several mock drafts have had Atlanta taking Chaisson one pick before the Cowboys go on the clock at 17 this year. To get the pass rusher who makes a lot of sense for Dallas, I floated out some trade offers. The closest recent comparison to this situation happened in 2015, when the Chargers had the 17th pick and traded up two spots with the 49ers. The Chargers ended up getting the 15th pick at the cost of their first (17th overall) and fourth (117) in that year’s draft and their fifth-round pick (142) in the next year’s draft. The Chargers ended up taking two-time Pro Bowl running back Melvin Gordon at 15. The 49ers ended up getting starting defensive lineman Arik Armstead (17), reserve tight end Blake Bell (117) and reserve defensive lineman Ronald Blair (142).
The Broncos currently own the 15th pick. To get that selection, we both eventually agreed on the Cowboys giving up 17 and next year’s fourth-round pick. I didn’t want to part with much, if anything, in this year’s draft. Considering that Dallas should get several valuable compensatory picks next year after losing players like Byron Jones, Robert Quinn and Randall Cobb, it made more sense to part with the future fourth, and it seemed like a great investment to get the player I really wanted.
When on the clock at 15, Chaisson and Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson were the top two available targets. Having worked with the PFF simulator several times over the last week, I knew I could stay at 17 and probably still get Chaisson. But for the sake of this exercise, this seems like a realistic scenario that the Cowboys could entertain next Thursday.
Drafting Chaisson would give Dallas a player it could immediately get production from rushing the passer from the right side, opposite DeMarcus Lawrence. It would also mean the Cowboys wouldn’t be forced to count as much on potential contributions from Aldon Smith or Randy Gregory. Pass rusher and cornerback make the most sense at 17, and in this scenario, the Cowboys fill arguably their biggest need with a prospect who has a lot of upside.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Yetur Gross-Matos, edge, Penn State.
This was not an option I was expecting to be on the table. After trading up to select an edge rusher at 15, I figured I’d end up spending this pick on a defensive back. The best options on the board outside of Gross-Matos were Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, Lenior-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger, Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn and Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Gross-Matos is a 6-5, 266-pound prospect who has been going in the late first or early second round in most mock drafts. During his last two seasons at Penn State, as a sophomore and junior, he averaged 17 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks per season. The value seems like it would be too good to pass up at this point. The Cowboys’ edge-rushing situation would improve significantly if Chaisson and Gross-Matos ended up being their first two picks.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.
Having not improved the secondary with either of the first two picks, this seemed like a good spot to finally add a corner or safety. Chinn was still available and one of the top overall remaining players. Florida edge rusher Jonathan Greenard and Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet were also considered with this pick. In regards to cornerback, the top options were Michigan State’s Josiah Scott, Iowa’s Michael Ojemudia, UCLA’s Darnay Holmes and Auburn’s Javaris Davis. Greenard was given a lot of thought, but it didn’t seem realistic to have the Cowboys go with an edge rusher for the third consecutive pick. Chinn fills a need on the back end with starting safeties Xavier Woods and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix set to become free agents next offseason.
Fourth round, No. 123 overall: Jonathan Greenard, DE, Florida.
Well, at this point, this is just too good of a player to pass up. Many have projected Greenard to be a second-round pick. The Cowboys would be thrilled if this happened. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and new defensive line coach Jim Tomsula would have a ton to work with if they somehow came out of this draft with Chaisson, Gross-Matos and Greenard, who had 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss last season at Florida. In Dane Brugler’s latest seven-round mock draft, Greenard went to the Dolphins at pick 56. Other top options at this pick included Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant, Utah defensive tackle Leki Fotu and Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor. The top remaining corners were Ojemudia and Davis.
Fifth round, No. 164 overall: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa.
There was a little risk taken here. Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam was the best available player on my board. UCLA tight end Devin Asiasi was also still out there. Knowing that I’d be going on the clock again in 15 picks, I rolled the dice and went with a position of greater need. Brugler had the Cardinals taking Ojemudia at Pick 131 in his most recent mock draft. The Cowboys need corner help out of this draft. It’s more likely that they take one within the first three rounds than wait until the fifth. But getting Ojemudia here is great value. He has good size (6-1, 200) and speed (4.45 40-yard dash), and he intercepted six passes over the last two seasons.
Fifth round, No. 179 overall: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri.
The gamble paid off. There were other needs more important than tight end, but Okwuegbunam is too good of a player to pass up at 179. The Cowboys signed Blake Bell to help make up for the loss of Jason Witten, but there’s no question they still can afford to upgrade at the position. The 6’5, 258-pound Okwuegbunam had 23 touchdown catches in three seasons in college. He might never end up being a star, but the potential upside is intriguing, especially at this point in the draft.
Seventh round, No. 231 overall: James Proche, WR, SMU.
This continues to be a popular choice for the Cowboys with their final selection. Proche was far too productive at SMU to still be available at this point. This was an easy pick that combined value and an area of need. Other options available at this pick: Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson, Ole Miss defensive tackle Benito Jones, Georgia guard Solomon Kindley and FIU quarterback James Morgan.
Overall, the Cowboys end up addressing several of their top needs. Although they didn’t get another defensive tackle to plug up the middle, I think they’d be just fine if they ended up with three outstanding edge-rushing prospects. In a perfect world, a top corner would have still been there in the second or third. In regards to the trade up, losing a fourth next year to land the player you want most makes a lot of sense. If they believe Chaisson is the perfect complement to DeMarcus Lawrence, that move is worth it. I could have gone with Florida CB C.J. Henderson there as well, which would have provided more overall balance to this class, but there’s no way I would have projected Gross-Matos and Greenard to still be there when they were.
SAAD’S PICKS:
First round, No. 19 overall: K’Lavon Chaisson, edge, LSU.
Sitting at No. 17, I watched as players flew off the board, and there were a couple of names that I had a close eye on: One was Javon Kinlaw and another was C.J. Henderson. They were selected back to back at No. 14 and No. 15, respectively. When the clock was ticking at No. 17, I was debating whether or not I should take Auburn’s Derrick Brown or LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson. Brown is a very talented player, but given the signings of Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe, Chaisson may fill a position of greater need. I would be happy with either player, and so before I made my decision, I checked to see if any team wanted to trade with me.
Las Vegas was looking to make a small jump from No. 19 to No. 17. Along with No. 17, I offered my 2021 sixth-round pick to move down to No. 19 and get No. 81 in this draft. The trade was rejected. I replaced it with my 2021 fifth-round pick. The trade was rejected again. Semi-reluctantly, I packaged both my 2021 fifth and sixth round picks with No. 17 and moved down to No. 19, gaining No. 81 in the deal. The trade was accepted, and business was buzzing.
The Raiders took Brown at No. 17, where he represented too much value to pass up. After Miami took tackle Josh Jones at No. 18, my choice was made for me with Vegas’ pick: I took Chaisson at No. 19. There was no cornerback worth taking here, and the only player in the secondary worth consideration was Alabama safety Xavier McKinney. However, the Cowboys just acquired a former Alabama safety — I’m talking about free agency signing of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, of course. He’s not a permanent solution nor an all-world talent, but neither is McKinney. Given this is the fourth edition of our mock drafts, you know my philosophy has been to solidify the defensive front, if at all possible. Chaisson helps make that happen.
Some semblance of a defensive line rotation featuring McCoy, Poe, Chaisson, DeMarcus Lawrence, Antwaun Woods, Tyrone Crawford and perhaps even Randy Gregory or Aldon Smith (or both) should give the pass rush a much-needed boost. The run defense might be a bit shoddy at times, but in a passing league, you can make do with that if your coaching staff can patch up a game plan for a week or so. With a new regime, it’s possible. But a good pass rush is vital because it also helps the secondary in a way that no other defensive back available at No. 19 could on his own.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State.
Cornerback is still obviously a need. and Arnette is good value at No. 51. He’s capable of playing inside or out, which means in Dallas, he’ll be playing outside opposite of Chidobe Awuzie. The Cowboys have a cluster of cornerbacks who, as a whole, can best be characterized as a spare tire. It’s not pretty, but when the secondary is as unsettled as the Cowboys’ is looking to be, there isn’t one player they have a realistic shot at in this draft – no, Jeffrey Okudah is not realistic – who could make a difference.
Arnette played opposite of Okudah and held up his end of the bargain despite getting plenty of work from opposing offenses. Though not as big as Chase Young and Okudah, Arnette was still a significant reason why the Ohio State defense was elite in 2019.
Third round, No. 81 overall: Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois.
Remember that pick I got for trading back a couple of spots? Seems pretty worth it right now. If I could have only had Derrick Brown at No. 17 or I could wind up with Chaisson and Chinn coming out of this draft at the expense of a couple of Day 3 picks next year, give me the latter scenario all day long.
I know that Chinn played FCS football at Southern Illinois, but if you turn on the tape, the movements and plays he makes are more about him and his abilities than whatever the opposition is doing. He’s a big body, but more than anything, Chinn is a playmaker. He has the ability to go get the football, evidenced by his four interceptions in 2019 and three apiece in the three seasons prior to that. That’s something the Cowboys have been lacking for far too long.
Third round, No. 88 overall: Michael Ojemudia, CB, Iowa.
Call it bad fortune or whatever, but in the 10 picks ahead of me at No. 81, K.J. Hill, Michael Pittman Jr. and Chase Claypool all went off of the board. After taking Chinn at No. 81, I was hoping to address the need at slot receiver, but nothing really made me jump. This was an area rich at running back, guards and quarterback. If I wasn’t picking from those positions, I’d be reaching, so I thought it would be best to let a few other teams clear out that cluster and pick up an asset along the way. I moved back from No. 82 to No. 88, giving the New Orleans Saints my seventh-round pick in 2021 as well while getting No. 130 in this draft for my trouble.
These are back-to-back picks for me that emphasize getting the ball when it’s in the air. Aside from the fact that Chinn plays a different position, Ojemudia and Chinn are also different in physicality. Ojemudia is not going to be dependable to lay a big hit or bring down an opposing playmaker in space – that’s something that whatever team drafts him is going to have to accept – but he’s somebody who can cover the opposing wide receivers, and that’s a cornerback’s job.
He led Iowa in interceptions and pass breakups last year and gives the Cowboys an additional option at cornerback. One additional perk of this pick is how it affects the roster. If Ojemudia can prove to be a decent option and go toe-to-toe with Awuzie, maybe he allows the Cowboys to try out Awuzie at safety and pair Ojemudia up with Arnette on the outside.
Fourth round, No. 123 overall: Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU.
Devin Duvernay went off the board at No. 120 to the Jets, so make that the second time this draft I wanted to address the wide receiver position but was beaten to the punch. Instead, I got some help for the offense in another way for when Mike McCarthy wants to bust out the two-tight end sets.
Moss played with likely top overall pick, Joe Burrow, in LSU’s high-flying offense last year, so his play-making abilities and hands are easy to spot on tape. The LSU offense was designed in a way to benefit anybody with talent in the passing attack and Moss has that talent. However, his blocking ability is pretty underrated. I think he can come to the Cowboys and instantly emerge as the most complete tight end on the roster, unless Blake Jarwin has made some huge strides in the run-blocking area of his game. That doesn’t mean Moss takes over the top spot — Jarwin is the No. 1 tight end; his contract and production make that obvious — but Moss can bring a whole different dynamic to the offense by allowing McCarthy to go with two tight ends in case of injury to other Dallas playmakers or exposing a matchup.
Fourth round, No. 130 overall: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
This is arguably my most consistent pick in the mock drafts we have done. If I can get my hands on Blackmon at the right value in this draft, I’m doing it. He is flying under the radar due to a late-season injury that I think he’ll recover from just fine. Waiting this late to get a talent like him mitigates that risk. He’s a versatile player who can play all five positions in the secondary. He played cornerback most of his time at Utah, only making the switch to safety last season. With the switch, he earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors with 60 tackles, four pass breakups, a couple of forced fumbles and a team-high four interceptions.
He seems to be a coaching staff’s dream player in the sense that you can have him be ready at both safety positions along with inside and outside cornerback, or you can just see how he fares in camp and preseason and decide where you want to place him and where he can thrive in your system. In the absolute worst-case scenario that he doesn’t translate to the NFL on defense, he’s enough of a pure football player to become a core special teamer.
Fifth round, No. 164 overall: Jonathan Garvin, Edge, Miami.
This pick is all dependent on which version of Garvin your coaching staff can dig out. Is it going to be 2018 Garvin, who had 60 tackles (17 of them for loss), two fumble recoveries and 5.5 sacks? Or is it going to be what is most fresh in everybody’s memory, the 2019 campaign of 37 tackles (nine for loss) two forced fumbles and five sacks?
Questions have been raised about his effort, which seems kind of traumatizing for the Cowboys at this position given the Trysten Hill experience isn’t even a year old. But this isn’t a second-round pick, so the gamble is worth it. Production aside, he has the physical tools to be a solid rotational pass rusher. Can Jim Tomsula and co. get it out of him?
Fifth round, No. 179 overall: Malcolm Roach, DL, Texas.
If Garvin has the talent but is questionable on character, Roach is the opposite. All of the reviews of his work ethic and coachability are fantastic but watching a lot of Big 12 football the last few years, he never really jumps off the screen. That being said, the question as to what kind of scheme exactly the new regime will implement gives Roach a chance. I think in a 4-3, he can be a solid interior defender, but in a 3-4, I don’t know if he belongs on the field. He played on a three-man defensive front at Texas and was unable to move the line of scrimmage.
Seventh round, No. 231 overall: James Proche, WR, SMU.
Can a seventh-round pick be the future of the Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver spot? The guy who held down the fort for much of the past decade was undrafted (out of SMU, no less) and cashed in big with the Bills, so it’s possible. Additionally, Proche being available in the seventh round is great value given that NFL draft guru Dane Brugler has a fourth-round grade on him.
The production at SMU speaks for itself: He caught 204 passes for 2,424 yards and 27 touchdowns in his last two seasons. He has a lot of work to do to polish his game, but being in the room with Amari Cooper should help in that department, especially with his route-running.
Overall, this draft has quality and quantity. By trading down twice, I got two more players and addressed some of the biggest positions of need without reaching too much. Wide receiver is a slight concern, but ultimately, the Cowboys would feel good about a draft that has this many potential starters on defense, a reliable offensive weapon and a few projects along the way.
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Then let them make the same mistake they did on Tak McKinley.
Stasheroo
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Different mental makeup between him and Chaisson. Entirely different.
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Similar physical tools in my opinion. Undersized pass rusher who ran really good with a 4.59 forty at the combine. McKinnley did have the benefit of at least producing good sack numbers his last year in college with 10. But both guys have similar size and rawness to their games.
Stasheroo
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I'd have to concede that.
But I prefer to have a 'traits guy' screaming off the edge vs Chariots of Fire timed with a sundial.
Simpleton
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McKinley wasn't a mistake, at least it's way too early to come to that conclusion. He put up 13 sacks over his first two years and then dipped down to 3.5 last year for whatever reason, could've been a matter of the team being in the shitter most of the season, or maybe just because seasons like that happen to good edge rushers sometimes.
If you expect a guy drafted late in the 1st to put up 10-15 sacks 8 years in a row and be a generational edge rusher then you're just setting yourself up for disappointment. A career similar to that of a Melvin Ingram is about what I'd expect out of a prospect like McKinley or Chaisson in the mid to late 1st.