Cowboys mock draft with Dane Brugler’s expert analysis of Dallas’ first 4 picks
By Jon Machota and Dane Brugler 32m ago
Last week, we participated in our first mock draft of the year. To get an early idea of what could be there for the Cowboys on the first two days of April’s NFL Draft,
we logged into The Draft Network’s mock draft simulator and made Dallas’ first four picks. We used Dane Brugler’s Top 100 draft board as a guide to rank the top prospects on our big board.
Since Brugler just returned from the Senior Bowl, we conducted a new mock and had
The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert give his take on our first three rounds.
Here are the four picks, complete with Brugler’s analysis.
First round, No. 10 overall: Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech
This ended up being the same pick as our previous mock. Other notable players who were still available at this pick: Alabama WR Jaylen Waddle, South Carolina CB Jaycee Horn, Northwestern OT Rashawn Slater, Florida TE Kyle Pitts and North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. The Cowboys need help all over their defense, but especially at cornerback with Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis about to become unrestricted free agents. Dallas was able to get great value at cornerback in last year’s draft, selecting Trevon Diggs in the second round. Similar success could potentially be found again this year, but why not take the player many consider to be the top corner in this class?
Brugler: I think that would be a great pick. I’ve been a big Caleb Farley fan since the summer. He has been my Cornerback No. 1 since the summer. Even though he hasn’t played this year, he has still been the guy. I think he has tremendous upside. You’re talking about a player who has the size, has the speed, ball instincts. I think that would be a great pick for the Cowboys at 10.
I think when you look at the other options that are available, first of all, I don’t think they would take Kyle Pitts, but it would be awfully tough to pass on him. He’s one of the top five talents in this class, just a true unicorn with how he attacks defenses and with what you can do with him. It would be really tough to pass on him. Rashawn Slater, to me, is the one that it would come down to Farley or Slater if I’m making that pick. I’m a big Slater fan. I think he can really play all five offensive line positions. He can play guard and tackle, and he’s been working out at center. There’s a lot you could do with a player with that versatility and with that level of talent. He can step in and play guard and then he’s your eventual starter at left tackle whenever that day comes. The chance to fix the offensive line with a high-end talent would do wonders for the offense. Me personally, I think that’s the direction I would go. But if you’re going to go defense, then I think there’s no question that Farley would be the right pick there.
What NFL tight end would you compare Pitts to?
Brugler: He can be out there on every down, it’s just how you use him. I think the blueprint for Kyle Pitts is to watch the Raiders’ offense and see how they use Darren Waller. He’s that
move tight end where you could line him up in-line and he could execute basic blocks, but you want him down the field. You want him stressing the defense. You can line him up in the slot, you can line him up outside. The defense having to account for him, that’s part of the appeal with Kyle Pitts and what he can do. Just him being out there and running routes is going to get the defense’s attention and that’s a win for the offense. I think more so than the other tight ends like George Kittle and Travis Kelce, Darren Waller is really the blueprint.
Second round, No. 42 overall: Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
The Cowboys haven’t drafted a true safety in the first two rounds since Roy Williams in 2002. They might not end that streak this year, but this seemed like good value at another position of need, especially considering the expected switch back to more Cover-3 looks under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Dallas needs a free safety it can count on in coverage. Moehrig is widely regarded as the top safety in this class. Other notable players who were still available at this pick: Notre Dame OT Liam Eichenberg, Penn State DE Jayson Oweh and UCF safety Richie Grant.
Brugler: Moehrig is who I had them picking in the second round of my mock draft. I think it makes sense. He’s a really rangy player. I think the versatility that he offers is huge because you can line him up single-high, you can line him up in the slot, you can just do so many different things. He’s very instinctive, he’s a solid tackler, outstanding ball skills. If you get him in the second round, I think that’s excellent value. I think there’s a good chance he could sneak into that first round. But if he’s available in the second, I love the value. If he’s gone, Richie Grant is the next-best safety and I think he’d be a great value there as well.
Just like it would be tough for me to pass on Rashawn Slater, it would be tough for me to pass on Jayson Oweh there because I think he’s a first-round talent. He’s a guy that’s going to get beaten up throughout the process because he has zero sacks this year. But when you watch his tape, he’s consistently in the backfield. So the zero sacks are more of a notable statistic because he just didn’t get home and finish, but he was consistently disrupting what the offense was trying to do. He’s got that fluid lower body. He can explode through pass-blockers. He’s got that first-step twitch where he can soften the edge and really give blockers trouble in space. He was a basketball-first athlete most of his life, so he’s still learning and figuring things out. But I love his ceiling. I think he could end up being, like, an 80-percent version of a Myles Garrett. I think that’s his ceiling as an NFL player. In the second round, outside of the top 40 picks, I’m taking my chances on that upside every time. It would be awfully tough for me to pass on Jayson Oweh there. But I do like the Moehrig pick. I think that makes sense for what that defense needs, and I think the value is certainly there.
A player who went right before Moehrig in this mock draft is Alabama defensive tackle Christian Barmore. Is there any chance he could fall to the Cowboys in the second round?
Brugler: I wouldn’t say it’s a lock that he’s going in the first round because he’s still a very young player. He’s still figuring some things out. It’s more flashes than anything. But there’s a very, very good chance because I think he’s the top defensive tackle. And the chances of us going an entire first round without a defensive tackle drafted is a very low chance. Him being the top guy, I think there’s a very good chance he goes in the first. You never say never, but it would be a shock to see him still available for the Cowboys in the second.
If they don’t draft a cornerback in the first round, who are some players with good size who could be a possibility in maybe the second or third rounds?
Brugler: I think Ifeatu Melifonwu from Syracuse. He’s 6-2 and a half. He’s 212 pounds, over 32-inch arms. The size is definitely there. He’s a freaky athlete. He can play press-man coverage, he can play Cover-3. His brother Obi (2017 second-round pick) didn’t exactly love football, and Ifeatu is considered more of an NFL guy. He’s just a different person, a different type of player, which is a positive thing. I think he could be in that mix. An interesting one is Tyson Campbell (Georgia). He is so talented. This guy is exactly how you want guys at the cornerback position to look with his size and athleticism. I just really worry about him finding the football. He doesn’t do it consistently. And he just doesn’t play loose. The physical traits are there. It’s just can he be more consistent finding the football, playing the football and just staying on top of routes and understanding what’s happening. Because of that, he could fall out of the top 40 picks and be in consideration in that mid-second round mix because there are a lot of things in his favor.
Third round, No. 74 overall: Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State
There was a lot of hype about Wilson going into this past college football season, however, he didn’t play at the level many were expecting. Wilson was the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect coming out of high school in 2017. In four years at FSU, he finished with 9.5 sacks, nine QB pressures, 15 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Other notable defensive tackles who were still available at this pick: USC’s Marlon Tuipulotu, North Carolina State’s Alim McNeill, LSU’s Tyler Shelvin and UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa.
Brugler: Wilson was a second-rounder coming into the year. His senior year, there were flashes here and there. He had two blocked field goals in one game. But overall, he looked like he was playing with too much weight. At the Senior Bowl, he was 320. I would like to see him closer to 310 or even 305 to help with his movements. He’s too off-balance at times. There’s too much going on with him for me to grade him as a top-100 player. I think he’s an early Day 3 pick. The size and talent are there, it’s just he struggles to play with balance through contact, and he just doesn’t play explosive. That really hinders him from being a consistent factor in the backfield. If I’m not getting consistent production and worried about body composition and things like that, I’m not going to draft you in the top 100.
But if we’re going defensive tackle there, I like Tuipulotu much more than Marvin Wilson. I would have drafted him or McNeill. Tuipulotu is a guy that gives you one-technique and three-technique versatility. He’s not a traditional nose tackle, but he played nose tackle for USC. He’s got a big, strong frame, but he can also give you a little bit of pass rush because he’s quick at the snap. He’s got the agility where he can play in different gaps. He has strong hands. There are a lot of things you can do with him as an inside depth piece that can play different gaps.
Third round, No. 99 overall: Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh (
Compensatory picks have not been officially announced, but it’s likely the Cowboys will add a selection after the third round due to Byron Jones signing in Miami last year.)
The Cowboys are expected to go into the 2021 season with DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory as their starting edge rushers. Dorance Armstrong and Bradlee Anae are the only other edge rushers under contract on the roster. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Dallas addressed the position at some point in the first two days of this year’s draft. Other top edge rushers who were still available at this pick: Washington’s Joe Tryon, Pittsburgh’s Patrick Jones II and Oklahoma’s Ronnie Perkins.
Brugler: We don’t have that slam dunk, top-10 pass rusher in this draft class. We might not have a pass rusher go in the top 15 this year, which is rare. We’ve been spoiled with Myles Garrett, Joey and Nick Bosa, and Chase Young. But what I love about this draft class is that the pass-rush position is going to stretch late-first, second, third and even into the beginning stages of Day 3. There’s going to be plenty of pass rushers drafted. Maybe not the no-doubt-about-it, slam-dunk Pro Bowlers, but guys with talent. Joe Tryon, to me, he belongs somewhere in the top two rounds. So if he’s there in the third round, I’m jumping all over that. Even though he opted out this year, he’s still very young as a player, basically a one-year starter in college. He looks like an action figure. He’s got that muscular frame. He’s so quick and accelerates so well for a 265-pounder. There’s so much going for him. He’s got the mental makeup, he’s got the physical traits. He reminds me a little bit of Marcus Davenport when he was coming out of UTSA in 2018 and selected by the Saints in the first round. I think he’s got some of that to him.
And I’m a big fan of Rashad Weaver, more so than Patrick Jones, his teammate, who I know some people really like. But, to me, Rashad Weaver is a better football player. He’s not maybe a dynamic athlete but NFL standard, and that’s why he might not go higher, but he’s stout at the point of attack, he can stack and shed, and he’s very reliable versus the pass and the run. There are different things he can give you. He’s very long. I love his hand work at the top of the rush. I think his versatility and the fact you can keep him on the field in any situation and any scheme is something that’s a strong selling point for him.