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By Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf Mar 10, 2020
Mock drafts are so popular this time of year that it was time to switch things up a little bit from a Cowboys perspective. With that in mind, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf recently logged into TheNFLDraftNetwork.com’s mock draft simulator, and each made picks for the Cowboys based on team needs as well as which prospects they thought were the best fit at the time.
It needs to be noted that Dallas is expected to receive a fifth-round compensatory pick in exchange for losing wide receiver Cole Beasley to Buffalo in free agency. Compensatory picks have not been announced yet, though, so we skipped them for this exercise. Also, the Cowboys currently don’t have a sixth-round pick because they sent it to Miami in last year’s trade for Robert Quinn.
So here were go – two complete seven-round Cowboys mock drafts.
JON’S PICKS
First round, No. 17 overall: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
It helped the Cowboys that four quarterbacks, four wide receivers and three offensive tackles were already off the board, pushing some quality defensive players to a team that certainly needs help on that side of the ball. The pick came down to Kinlaw, Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson and Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa. The Cowboys would likely be pleased if things unfolded this way. Kinlaw was the choice because he’s the best player available at a position of need. Most mock drafts have him coming off the board in the eight-to-16 range. The 6-5, 324-pound tackle had his Senior Bowl week cut short because of some knee tendinitis. He did not participate in NFL combine drills because of the knee issue, but he’s expected to work out at South Carolina’s Pro Day on March 19. Kinlaw, who had six tackles for loss and six sacks last season, would immediately upgrade the middle of the Dallas defense. New Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wants to get bigger at the defensive tackle position. While that could be addressed before the draft in free agency or via trade, Kinlaw would still be difficult to pass on if available at 17.
Epenesa makes sense as well, considering defensive end is a significant need with Robert Quinn heading into free agency. Henderson being the pick is also a realistic scenario. With the Cowboys expected to lose No. 1 corner Byron Jones in free agency, the No. 17 overall pick could be used to fill his spot. Many mock drafts have Dallas going in that direction, selecting the next-best CB on their board after Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah, the consensus No. 1 corner in this class, is drafted in the top 10. There is a possibility that if they are unable to re-sign Amari Cooper, the Cowboys could go wide receiver here. But even in that scenario, Kinlaw makes more sense than taking the fifth-best receiver. Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, LSU’s Justin Jefferson and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs were already picked by the time Dallas went on the clock in this mock.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
The Cowboys have needed safety help for what seems like forever. It’s unlikely to get addressed in the first round this year. But what about in the second? Top safety prospects Nasir Adderley, Taylor Rapp and Juan Thornhill fell to Dallas late in the second round last year. The Cowboys passed in favor of DT Trysten Hill. Maybe they get a chance at another quality safety prospect like Dugger this year. Small school players haven’t been popular with the Cowboys since Will McClay started running the team’s drafts in 2014, but Dugger has the elite athletic ability (4.49 40-yard dash, 42-inch vertical) and size (6-1, 217) to be an immediate impact player. After going defensive tackle in the first round, cornerback was under serious consideration here, but none of the prospects presented more upside than Dugger. Another option was Boise State’s Curtis Weaver. The Cowboys had a formal visit with him at the combine, which should come as no surprise considering how many former Broncos standouts the franchise has added. For a defense that’s very thin a week before the start of free agency, the thought of coming out of the first two rounds with Kinlaw and Dugger looks excellent on paper. Both would be expected to make an immediate impact.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
In this scenario, Dallas repeats what it did in 2017 by drafting defense with each of its first three picks. Projecting that Byron Jones would no longer be on the roster at this point, cornerback was a major need. Anthony Brown is a free agent, and Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis only have one year left on their rookie deals. As the picks were coming off the board, the hope was that Virginia corner Bryce Hall would make it to 82. Unfortunately, he went three picks earlier. Arnette was the next-best CB available. At 6-0, 195 pounds, Arnette has good size, although his 30-inch arms fall below what the Cowboys have been looking for from the position in the past. But at this point, Arnette seems like a pretty good value. In 11 games last season, he had one interception and eight pass breakups playing opposite of Jeff Okudah. Arnette was a three-year starter at Ohio State, finishing his college career with five interceptions and 22 passes defensed.
Fourth round, No. 113 overall: K.J. Hill, WR, Ohio State
This was great value in the fourth round considering that Hill was under strong consideration at Pick 82. Being able to get a talent like Hill this late speaks to the depth at the wide receiver position in this draft class. Over the last three years with the Buckeyes, the 6-0, 196-pound Hill averaged 61 catches, 690 yards and six touchdowns per season. Hill on meeting with Cowboys coaches at the Senior Bowl: “It went well. We mainly were talking about football. … They were like, ‘Arkansas kid, I know you liked the Cowboys.’ I’m like, ‘Definitely did like the Cowboys growing up. That’s all we knew. Jerry Jones is an Arkansas guy.’ It went well.” While the Cowboys are expected to re-sign veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb, Hill would give them an heir apparent on the inside and a player who could make an immediate impact. Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was still on the board when this pick was made. It’s difficult to believe such a scenario would play out next month. If that was the case, he’d have to be considered here even after addressing the position in the first round.
Fifth round, No. 146 overall: Jonathan Garvin, DE, Miami
While talking with Dane Brugler at the combine a couple of weeks ago, I specifically asked him about some potential middle-to-late round pass rushers who could pan out at the NFL level along the lines of Maxx Crosby (fourth-round pick last year), Yannick Ngakoue (third-round pick in 2016) and Danielle Hunter (third-round pick in 2015). One of the prospects in this calls he mentioned was Garvin. Over the last two seasons, he’s had 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss. The 6-4, 263-pound Garvin ran a 4.82 40-yard dash and posted a 36-inch vertical at the combine. Although he has battled inconsistency, he has the traits to be a potential impact player down the road. Depending on what the Cowboys do in free agency at edge rusher, waiting until the fifth round to address the position might be less than ideal. The only edge rushers under contract on Dallas’ roster who are expected to play next season are DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong and Joe Jackson. They obviously need to add more at the position.
Seventh round, No. 208 overall: Benito Jones, DT, Ole Miss
With the Cowboys trying to get bigger at defensive tackle, the 6-1, 316-pound Jones seems to be excellent value here. It might not necessarily be the biggest position of need at this point, but the Cowboys have done well in undrafted free agency, so they can select the best player available at this point. They’ll likely sign a few other players they considered here, too.
SAAD’S PICKS
First round, No. 17 overall: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
A mock draft at this juncture of the offseason requires some assumptions, and I made a couple before taking Kinlaw at No. 17. First, I’m assuming that Byron Jones will not be back with the Cowboys, which seems a rather safe bet based on your reporting, Jon, from Day 1 of the combine. The other assumption that I’m making is that Amari Cooper will be back, based on his recent comments on 105.3 The Fan and the fact that the Cowboys traded a first-round pick to acquire him less than two years ago. Now, here’s my logic behind the Kinlaw pick. The Cowboys secondary is due for a major overhaul. Along with Byron Jones, there are five other members of the 2019 secondary who are unrestricted free agents, totaling three corners and three safeties. While the defensive line also has a few members hitting the market, the staple of that unit is in place with DeMarcus Lawrence. When running this mock, the primary contestants to be picked were Alabama safety Xavier McKinney and LSU safety Grant Delpit.
Looking at the Cowboys defense, it’s obviously the far weaker unit compared to the offense. With that being the case, I believe it’s better to fortify one area rather than scatter some talent at different levels of the defense. If Lawrence is the only threat on the defensive line, opposing offenses can zero in on him and neutralize the impact of a pass rush or simply run away from him. If Jones leaves in free agency as expected, one talented player in the secondary won’t be too hard for offenses to play against. New York Jets safety Jamal Adams is arguably the best in the league, yet the Jets defense in 2019 ranked No. 16 in points allowed per game, five slots worse than the Cowboys. Aside from the fact that I don’t think McKinney or Delpit will be as good as Adams, Kinlaw is a player with a good motor who will pair well with Lawrence. He has some minor deficiencies that I think can be cleaned up with the proper coaching he will receive in Dallas from Jim Tomsula.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Curtis Weaver, Edge, Boise State
Copy and paste a lot of my reasoning for Kinlaw here for Weaver as well. I’m really looking to create a strong area on the defense, and I have my doubts about whether the Cowboys will be able to bring back Robert Quinn, while Randy Gregory is just a wild card at this point. Obviously, the Boise State pipeline runs deep in Dallas, and I don’t think Jason Garrett’s departure shakes that up too much. The Cowboys have not only had good results in Boise products such as Orlando Scandrick and Leighton Vander Esch but particularly on the defensive line with Tyrone Crawford and Lawrence, who will both be around to bring Weaver along. It’s also worth noting that Weaver was the Cowboys’ first formal visit at the combine. There’s also merit to this pick, though. Weaver was a productive player — 34 sacks in three seasons — at Boise and consistently got better, with his highest sack total coming last season with 13.5. He also performed well at the combine so you mix in all of those factors, and I think he’s a logical pick for me in the second round. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Jalen Reagor were both there for the taking, but a wide receiver in Round 2 felt a bit rich combined with Cooper’s new contract. Kyle Dugger and Damon Arnette were options as well but neither feels substantially better than Weaver so, ultimately, it made more sense to solidify the defensive front. Let me also add that I think with Kinlaw and Weaver as my first two picks, the secondary gets a little better by default as well because quarterbacks will be uncomfortable going against this defensive line.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
I pounced here when I saw Arnette was still on the board for me. There were a couple of intriguing options at wide receiver I was considering here, but it came down to the intersection of best available and team need. Arnette fills a position that is not just in desperate need of an upgrade but also in need of bodies. This is a player that’s capable of playing both inside and out, though I think the Cowboys will need him outside given Jones’ anticipated departure and Jourdan Lewis’ ability to play in the slot. Arnette also played a challenging role in 2019 and excelled. When the corner playing on the opposite side of you is a top-five talent like Jeffrey Okudah, you have to be prepared to see a lot of balls come your way, and Arnette’s completion rate allowed in 2019 was 45.1 percent. He’s not exactly a turnover machine, but neither was Jones, and the Cowboys would love to retain him if they could make the money dance. I’m not entirely sure that Arnette will truly be available for the Cowboys here, but he was in my mock draft, so I had to take him.
Fourth round, No. 113 overall: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
This is a pick I feel particularly strongly about. We all have a guy or two that we put our belief in, and Pittman Jr. is that player for me, regardless of where he goes in the draft. If the Cowboys are able to nab him, they should consider themselves lucky. I stayed up and watched a lot of Pac-12 football last fall, and Pittman was impressive for a few reasons. How many wide receivers in college football finished with at least 100 catches, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns? Just three, and Pittman was one of them with 101 receptions for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns (LSU’s Justin Jefferson and SMU’s James Proche were the others). He did all of that while USC lost its starting quarterback out of camp for the season in Week 1. Pittman’s quarterback for the bulk of the season was a true freshman in Kedon Slovis, who also missed a couple of games due to an injury, which left Pittman playing with third-stringer Matt Fink. The tape will tell you that Pittman is talented, but the measurements will only reinforce that. He’s a big guy at 6’4, 223 pounds, but he still managed to run a 4.52 40-yard dash at the combine. It doesn’t seem like a blazing time at face value, but when you look at his speed score, which factors in height and weight, he ranked in the 93rd percentile. He had the second-best short-shuttle time among wide receivers at 4.14 and was one of four wide receivers to run under seven seconds in the three-cone drill at 6.69. If Cooper and Michael Gallup are lining up for the Cowboys next season and attracting the bulk of attention from secondaries, Pittman will take advantage in a big way and make an instant impact.
Fifth round, No. 146 overall: Jordan Fuller, S, Ohio State
At this stage in the draft, you’re really trying to hit the lottery, but I was pleased to see Fuller still on my board. The biggest knock on him, for me, is that he’s kind of a tweener. He doesn’t have quite the range of an NFL free safety but also isn’t ideal to play in the box as a strong safety. However, I think it’s precisely these kinds of talents that new Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would love to maximize when he said, “Let’s get as many good football players as we possibly can.” Fuller is a good, not great football player coming from a big-time program in Ohio State that finished with the top-ranked pass defense. Obviously, the names that steal the headlines from the unit are Okudah and Chase Young, but Fuller was also part of it, and he improved from his 2018 campaign. I’m also light in the secondary in this draft after front-loading with defensive line talent, so I need bodies to put on the field at safety.
Seventh round, No. 208 overall: A.J. Green, CB, Oklahoma State
Because he played in the Big 12, I watched Green a lot before I actually dove into his personal tape after the season. I’ve always liked the potential he provides and he flashed ability throughout his time with Oklahoma State, but his lack of physicality is a bit concerning for me. Still, at this point, you’re not getting any polished products, so if there’s a player I’m going to take a flyer on, let it be somebody who has shown ability and fits at a position in need at corner.
Mock drafts are so popular this time of year that it was time to switch things up a little bit from a Cowboys perspective. With that in mind, Jon Machota and Saad Yousuf recently logged into TheNFLDraftNetwork.com’s mock draft simulator, and each made picks for the Cowboys based on team needs as well as which prospects they thought were the best fit at the time.
It needs to be noted that Dallas is expected to receive a fifth-round compensatory pick in exchange for losing wide receiver Cole Beasley to Buffalo in free agency. Compensatory picks have not been announced yet, though, so we skipped them for this exercise. Also, the Cowboys currently don’t have a sixth-round pick because they sent it to Miami in last year’s trade for Robert Quinn.
So here were go – two complete seven-round Cowboys mock drafts.
JON’S PICKS
First round, No. 17 overall: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
It helped the Cowboys that four quarterbacks, four wide receivers and three offensive tackles were already off the board, pushing some quality defensive players to a team that certainly needs help on that side of the ball. The pick came down to Kinlaw, Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson and Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa. The Cowboys would likely be pleased if things unfolded this way. Kinlaw was the choice because he’s the best player available at a position of need. Most mock drafts have him coming off the board in the eight-to-16 range. The 6-5, 324-pound tackle had his Senior Bowl week cut short because of some knee tendinitis. He did not participate in NFL combine drills because of the knee issue, but he’s expected to work out at South Carolina’s Pro Day on March 19. Kinlaw, who had six tackles for loss and six sacks last season, would immediately upgrade the middle of the Dallas defense. New Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy wants to get bigger at the defensive tackle position. While that could be addressed before the draft in free agency or via trade, Kinlaw would still be difficult to pass on if available at 17.
Epenesa makes sense as well, considering defensive end is a significant need with Robert Quinn heading into free agency. Henderson being the pick is also a realistic scenario. With the Cowboys expected to lose No. 1 corner Byron Jones in free agency, the No. 17 overall pick could be used to fill his spot. Many mock drafts have Dallas going in that direction, selecting the next-best CB on their board after Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah, the consensus No. 1 corner in this class, is drafted in the top 10. There is a possibility that if they are unable to re-sign Amari Cooper, the Cowboys could go wide receiver here. But even in that scenario, Kinlaw makes more sense than taking the fifth-best receiver. Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, LSU’s Justin Jefferson and Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs were already picked by the time Dallas went on the clock in this mock.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
The Cowboys have needed safety help for what seems like forever. It’s unlikely to get addressed in the first round this year. But what about in the second? Top safety prospects Nasir Adderley, Taylor Rapp and Juan Thornhill fell to Dallas late in the second round last year. The Cowboys passed in favor of DT Trysten Hill. Maybe they get a chance at another quality safety prospect like Dugger this year. Small school players haven’t been popular with the Cowboys since Will McClay started running the team’s drafts in 2014, but Dugger has the elite athletic ability (4.49 40-yard dash, 42-inch vertical) and size (6-1, 217) to be an immediate impact player. After going defensive tackle in the first round, cornerback was under serious consideration here, but none of the prospects presented more upside than Dugger. Another option was Boise State’s Curtis Weaver. The Cowboys had a formal visit with him at the combine, which should come as no surprise considering how many former Broncos standouts the franchise has added. For a defense that’s very thin a week before the start of free agency, the thought of coming out of the first two rounds with Kinlaw and Dugger looks excellent on paper. Both would be expected to make an immediate impact.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
In this scenario, Dallas repeats what it did in 2017 by drafting defense with each of its first three picks. Projecting that Byron Jones would no longer be on the roster at this point, cornerback was a major need. Anthony Brown is a free agent, and Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis only have one year left on their rookie deals. As the picks were coming off the board, the hope was that Virginia corner Bryce Hall would make it to 82. Unfortunately, he went three picks earlier. Arnette was the next-best CB available. At 6-0, 195 pounds, Arnette has good size, although his 30-inch arms fall below what the Cowboys have been looking for from the position in the past. But at this point, Arnette seems like a pretty good value. In 11 games last season, he had one interception and eight pass breakups playing opposite of Jeff Okudah. Arnette was a three-year starter at Ohio State, finishing his college career with five interceptions and 22 passes defensed.
Fourth round, No. 113 overall: K.J. Hill, WR, Ohio State
This was great value in the fourth round considering that Hill was under strong consideration at Pick 82. Being able to get a talent like Hill this late speaks to the depth at the wide receiver position in this draft class. Over the last three years with the Buckeyes, the 6-0, 196-pound Hill averaged 61 catches, 690 yards and six touchdowns per season. Hill on meeting with Cowboys coaches at the Senior Bowl: “It went well. We mainly were talking about football. … They were like, ‘Arkansas kid, I know you liked the Cowboys.’ I’m like, ‘Definitely did like the Cowboys growing up. That’s all we knew. Jerry Jones is an Arkansas guy.’ It went well.” While the Cowboys are expected to re-sign veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb, Hill would give them an heir apparent on the inside and a player who could make an immediate impact. Missouri defensive tackle Jordan Elliott was still on the board when this pick was made. It’s difficult to believe such a scenario would play out next month. If that was the case, he’d have to be considered here even after addressing the position in the first round.
Fifth round, No. 146 overall: Jonathan Garvin, DE, Miami
While talking with Dane Brugler at the combine a couple of weeks ago, I specifically asked him about some potential middle-to-late round pass rushers who could pan out at the NFL level along the lines of Maxx Crosby (fourth-round pick last year), Yannick Ngakoue (third-round pick in 2016) and Danielle Hunter (third-round pick in 2015). One of the prospects in this calls he mentioned was Garvin. Over the last two seasons, he’s had 10.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss. The 6-4, 263-pound Garvin ran a 4.82 40-yard dash and posted a 36-inch vertical at the combine. Although he has battled inconsistency, he has the traits to be a potential impact player down the road. Depending on what the Cowboys do in free agency at edge rusher, waiting until the fifth round to address the position might be less than ideal. The only edge rushers under contract on Dallas’ roster who are expected to play next season are DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong and Joe Jackson. They obviously need to add more at the position.
Seventh round, No. 208 overall: Benito Jones, DT, Ole Miss
With the Cowboys trying to get bigger at defensive tackle, the 6-1, 316-pound Jones seems to be excellent value here. It might not necessarily be the biggest position of need at this point, but the Cowboys have done well in undrafted free agency, so they can select the best player available at this point. They’ll likely sign a few other players they considered here, too.
SAAD’S PICKS
First round, No. 17 overall: Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
A mock draft at this juncture of the offseason requires some assumptions, and I made a couple before taking Kinlaw at No. 17. First, I’m assuming that Byron Jones will not be back with the Cowboys, which seems a rather safe bet based on your reporting, Jon, from Day 1 of the combine. The other assumption that I’m making is that Amari Cooper will be back, based on his recent comments on 105.3 The Fan and the fact that the Cowboys traded a first-round pick to acquire him less than two years ago. Now, here’s my logic behind the Kinlaw pick. The Cowboys secondary is due for a major overhaul. Along with Byron Jones, there are five other members of the 2019 secondary who are unrestricted free agents, totaling three corners and three safeties. While the defensive line also has a few members hitting the market, the staple of that unit is in place with DeMarcus Lawrence. When running this mock, the primary contestants to be picked were Alabama safety Xavier McKinney and LSU safety Grant Delpit.
Looking at the Cowboys defense, it’s obviously the far weaker unit compared to the offense. With that being the case, I believe it’s better to fortify one area rather than scatter some talent at different levels of the defense. If Lawrence is the only threat on the defensive line, opposing offenses can zero in on him and neutralize the impact of a pass rush or simply run away from him. If Jones leaves in free agency as expected, one talented player in the secondary won’t be too hard for offenses to play against. New York Jets safety Jamal Adams is arguably the best in the league, yet the Jets defense in 2019 ranked No. 16 in points allowed per game, five slots worse than the Cowboys. Aside from the fact that I don’t think McKinney or Delpit will be as good as Adams, Kinlaw is a player with a good motor who will pair well with Lawrence. He has some minor deficiencies that I think can be cleaned up with the proper coaching he will receive in Dallas from Jim Tomsula.
Second round, No. 51 overall: Curtis Weaver, Edge, Boise State
Copy and paste a lot of my reasoning for Kinlaw here for Weaver as well. I’m really looking to create a strong area on the defense, and I have my doubts about whether the Cowboys will be able to bring back Robert Quinn, while Randy Gregory is just a wild card at this point. Obviously, the Boise State pipeline runs deep in Dallas, and I don’t think Jason Garrett’s departure shakes that up too much. The Cowboys have not only had good results in Boise products such as Orlando Scandrick and Leighton Vander Esch but particularly on the defensive line with Tyrone Crawford and Lawrence, who will both be around to bring Weaver along. It’s also worth noting that Weaver was the Cowboys’ first formal visit at the combine. There’s also merit to this pick, though. Weaver was a productive player — 34 sacks in three seasons — at Boise and consistently got better, with his highest sack total coming last season with 13.5. He also performed well at the combine so you mix in all of those factors, and I think he’s a logical pick for me in the second round. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Jalen Reagor were both there for the taking, but a wide receiver in Round 2 felt a bit rich combined with Cooper’s new contract. Kyle Dugger and Damon Arnette were options as well but neither feels substantially better than Weaver so, ultimately, it made more sense to solidify the defensive front. Let me also add that I think with Kinlaw and Weaver as my first two picks, the secondary gets a little better by default as well because quarterbacks will be uncomfortable going against this defensive line.
Third round, No. 82 overall: Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State
I pounced here when I saw Arnette was still on the board for me. There were a couple of intriguing options at wide receiver I was considering here, but it came down to the intersection of best available and team need. Arnette fills a position that is not just in desperate need of an upgrade but also in need of bodies. This is a player that’s capable of playing both inside and out, though I think the Cowboys will need him outside given Jones’ anticipated departure and Jourdan Lewis’ ability to play in the slot. Arnette also played a challenging role in 2019 and excelled. When the corner playing on the opposite side of you is a top-five talent like Jeffrey Okudah, you have to be prepared to see a lot of balls come your way, and Arnette’s completion rate allowed in 2019 was 45.1 percent. He’s not exactly a turnover machine, but neither was Jones, and the Cowboys would love to retain him if they could make the money dance. I’m not entirely sure that Arnette will truly be available for the Cowboys here, but he was in my mock draft, so I had to take him.
Fourth round, No. 113 overall: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
This is a pick I feel particularly strongly about. We all have a guy or two that we put our belief in, and Pittman Jr. is that player for me, regardless of where he goes in the draft. If the Cowboys are able to nab him, they should consider themselves lucky. I stayed up and watched a lot of Pac-12 football last fall, and Pittman was impressive for a few reasons. How many wide receivers in college football finished with at least 100 catches, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns? Just three, and Pittman was one of them with 101 receptions for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns (LSU’s Justin Jefferson and SMU’s James Proche were the others). He did all of that while USC lost its starting quarterback out of camp for the season in Week 1. Pittman’s quarterback for the bulk of the season was a true freshman in Kedon Slovis, who also missed a couple of games due to an injury, which left Pittman playing with third-stringer Matt Fink. The tape will tell you that Pittman is talented, but the measurements will only reinforce that. He’s a big guy at 6’4, 223 pounds, but he still managed to run a 4.52 40-yard dash at the combine. It doesn’t seem like a blazing time at face value, but when you look at his speed score, which factors in height and weight, he ranked in the 93rd percentile. He had the second-best short-shuttle time among wide receivers at 4.14 and was one of four wide receivers to run under seven seconds in the three-cone drill at 6.69. If Cooper and Michael Gallup are lining up for the Cowboys next season and attracting the bulk of attention from secondaries, Pittman will take advantage in a big way and make an instant impact.
Fifth round, No. 146 overall: Jordan Fuller, S, Ohio State
At this stage in the draft, you’re really trying to hit the lottery, but I was pleased to see Fuller still on my board. The biggest knock on him, for me, is that he’s kind of a tweener. He doesn’t have quite the range of an NFL free safety but also isn’t ideal to play in the box as a strong safety. However, I think it’s precisely these kinds of talents that new Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy would love to maximize when he said, “Let’s get as many good football players as we possibly can.” Fuller is a good, not great football player coming from a big-time program in Ohio State that finished with the top-ranked pass defense. Obviously, the names that steal the headlines from the unit are Okudah and Chase Young, but Fuller was also part of it, and he improved from his 2018 campaign. I’m also light in the secondary in this draft after front-loading with defensive line talent, so I need bodies to put on the field at safety.
Seventh round, No. 208 overall: A.J. Green, CB, Oklahoma State
Because he played in the Big 12, I watched Green a lot before I actually dove into his personal tape after the season. I’ve always liked the potential he provides and he flashed ability throughout his time with Oklahoma State, but his lack of physicality is a bit concerning for me. Still, at this point, you’re not getting any polished products, so if there’s a player I’m going to take a flyer on, let it be somebody who has shown ability and fits at a position in need at corner.
