Cowboys big board: 25 prospects who make sense for Dallas early in this year’s draft
By
Jon Machota
5h ago
Even the harshest of critics have to give the
Cowboys credit for their roster building over the last week and a half. It’s by far the most active Dallas has been this time of year in more than a decade. To catch you up on the latest, here are the Cowboys’ recent moves.
Franchise tag: RB
Tony Pollard
Traded for CB
Stephon Gilmore
Traded for WR
Brandin Cooks
Re-worked contract: OT
Tyron Smith
Re-signed S Donovan Wilson
Leighton Vander Esch (Tim Heitman / USA Today)
Re-signed LB
Leighton Vander Esch
Re-signed QB
Cooper Rush
Re-signed special teams ace
C.J. Goodwin
Re-signed RB
Rico Dowdle
Re-signed DE
Dante Fowler
Signed OL
Chuma Edoga
Signed RB
Ronald Jones
Released RB
Ezekiel Elliott
G
Connor McGovern signed with the
Bills
WR
Noah Brown signed with the
Texans
LB
Luke Gifford signed with the Titans
LS
Jake McQuaide signed with the
Lions
TE
Dalton Schultz signed with the Texans
https://theathletic.com/4326867/2023/03/20/cowboys-roster-free-agency/
Most of the Cowboys’ biggest roster holes have been filled, allowing them to largely focus on the best player available during next month’s draft. With that in mind, we’ve put together a big board ranking of 25 players from this draft class who Dallas would like to have available when their first-round pick (No. 26 overall) arrives.
Quarterbacks and offensive tackles have been removed because it’s highly unlikely that the Cowboys would draft either position in the first round.
Dak Prescott will remain the franchise QB well into the future.
Tyler Smith and
Terence Steele are expected to be the team’s long-term answers at left tackle and right tackle.
1. Will Anderson, DE, Alabama. He’s the consensus No. 1 edge rusher in this class. In three seasons, he had 34 1/2 sacks.
2. Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia. He’s by far this year’s best defensive tackle prospect. The argument could be made that he would be the Cowboys’ choice if they had the No. 1 overall pick.
3. Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon. He has the size (6-1, 197) and playmaking ability to become a shutdown
NFL corner.
4. Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech. An elite pass rusher who has the size (6-6, 270) to also play on the inside. He had 14 sacks and 27 1/2 tackles for loss over the last two seasons.
5. Peter Skoronski, OT/OG, Northwestern. Because his best NFL position might be guard, he would make sense for the Cowboys. The interior of their offensive line needs help.
6. Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson. Another really productive edge rusher who has the size (6-5, 270) to play on the interior of the defensive line.
7. Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia. He didn’t have the overwhelming college statistics that you might expect, only three sacks last season. However, his impressive showing at the combine makes you wonder what he could do in Dan Quinn’s defense.
8. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas. With Elliott no longer on the roster, running back is absolutely in play at Pick 26. If Robinson was to fall that far, he’d be difficult for the Cowboys to pass up.
9. Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois. At just under 6-foot, he doesn’t have the length the Cowboys prefer at the position. But he had three interceptions and 14 passes defended last season in 12 games.
10. Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa. A 6-5, 275-pound edge rusher who will likely also play on the inside in the NFL.
https://theathletic.com/4328642/2023/03/21/cowboys-trades-stephon-gilmore-brandin-cooks/
11. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State. At 6-2 with 34-inch arms, he’s exactly what the Cowboys look for in a cornerback.
12. Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame. The top tight end prospect in a deep TE class. Mayer is the complete package of blocker and pass catcher.
13. Jordan Addison, WR, USC. Trading for Cooks means Dallas doesn’t have to reach at the position. But the Cowboys should still consider a wide receiver at 26 if the right player is available.
14. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State. Injuries significantly limited him last season. When healthy, he’s as good or better than any wide receiver in this class.
15. Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson. Defensive tackle is arguably the Cowboys’ biggest need. They would like to re-sign veteran
Johnathan Hankins, but more help is still needed. Bresee is regarded by most as the second-best DT in the class and he could fall to 26.
16. Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU. At 6-3, 210, he has the best size of the wide receivers who could go in the first round.
17. Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech. Another big pass rusher at 6-5, 285. The Cowboys should be in good shape in 2023 with
Micah Parsons,
DeMarcus Lawrence,
Sam Williams,
Dorance Armstrong and Fowler. But teams can never have enough young pass rushers.
18. Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah. He’s probably a bigger play threat than Mayer. He had 16 touchdown receptions over the last two seasons. Mayer also had 16.
19. Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee. He didn’t have much production during his freshman and sophomore seasons. But he exploded last year for 1,267 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns.
20. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia. At 6-7, 264, he looks more like an offensive lineman than a tight end. His pass-catching skills need to continue to improve. He caught only 28 passes for 454 yards and two touchdowns last season.
21. Will McDonald, DE, Iowa State. He had double-digit sacks during his sophomore and junior seasons, but only five as a senior.
22. O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida. He seems like the perfect fit to draft and plug in at left guard, pairing him with Tyler Smith on the left side for the next decade.
23. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama. Many consider him to be the second-best running back in this class behind Robinson. Gibbs had 926 rushing yards, 444 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games last season.
24. Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland. Before the trade for Stephon Gilmore, cornerback had to be the favorite in terms of positions the Cowboys could address at 26. With Gilmore, they don’t need to address it, but they still can.
25. Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh. The Cowboys’ big board will have all of the quarterbacks and offensive tackles ranked in order with the rest of the players, even if they might not have plans to take them. Since we’ve removed those to trim some of the fat for this exercise, defensive tackle and offensive guard are getting a little bit of a bump here at the end. Defensive tackle Mazi Smith out of Michigan is another player to know. Most project Smith to be a second-round pick. Maybe he falls to the Cowboys in the second round, or maybe he’s a player who they move back a few spots and then add. Even if they re-sign Hankins, defensive tackle seems likely to be addressed in the first few rounds. TCU offensive guard Steve Avila is also more likely to go in the second round. But Avila would be selected because he could play left guard immediately and it’s not like right guard
Zack Martin is going to play forever.
