2020 1/2 season Cowboys mock

[KingintheNorth]

Okay, we are at the halfway point of the season so it’s time for another mock.

Here’s the link to the ¼ season mock:
https://cowboyszone.com/threads/2020-1-4-season-cowboys-mock.441917/

1 Javon Kinlaw DT South Carolina
2 Kenny Willekes DE Michigan State
3 Ashtyn Davis S Cal
4 Aaron Fuller WR Washington
5 Cole Kmet TE Notre Dame
7 Lavonta Taylor CB Florida State

Nfl.com has us drafting 21st right now (as the lowest ranked playoff team). I use The Draft Network’s simulator (https://thedraftnetwork.com/mock-draft-machine ) to keep myself honest on the draft board. However, I will be adding some “sleepers” in this version.

1 (21) Derrick Brown DT (6’5” 318) Auburn
https://auburntigers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=12823

People are going to argue that he won’t make it to pick 21, but he’s slid to this range a few times when I ran the simulator. He’s exactly what the current Cowboys regime is looking for in a defensive tackle: 1Tech size with 3Tech traits. He’s the inside disruptive force this defensive line needs and if he’s within earshot of the Cowboys 1st round pick, they need to be working the phones to grab him. Very few other players in range of the Cowboys pick will have the impact that Brown would have for Dallas.
2019 stats: 37 Tackles, 8 TFL’s, 4 Sacks, 2 FF’s

2 (53) Cole Kmet TE (6’5” 250) Notre Dame
https://und.com/roster/cole-kmet/

In the previous mock, I took him in the 5th round; he continues to rise up the rankings. Kmet, who also pitches for the Fighting Irish baseball team, missed the first two games of the season with a broken collarbone. Since his return, he has caught a TD in 5 of 6 games, including his 9 catch, 108-yard debut against Georgia. Kmet is a big, athletic target who catches everything thrown his way. He fits the Travis Kelce/TJ Hockenson mold and will be a consistent match-up issue for defenders.
2019 stats: 27 REC, 318 YDS, 5 TD

3 (85) Kenny Robinson S (6’2” 200) St. Louis (XFL) formerly at West Virginia
https://www.xfl.com/en-US/articles/st-louis-battlehawks-roster
https://wvusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5483

I promised you sleepers and here is the first one. Robinson will be an interesting case study since he is the only XFL player who had remaining college eligibility. He had some academic issues at West Virginia and since he wasn’t eligible for the Supplemental Draft (only 2 years removed from high school graduation,) he opted for the XFL. He started 20 games in 2 seasons for the Mountaineers and was named first team All-Big12 in 2018. He was considered by many to be a legit NFL prospect before leaving school. His draft stock will obviously depend on his play for the St. Louis Battlehawks in their inaugural season (which concludes the weekend of the 2020 draft), but this is the type of move that reminds me of the Gill Brandt era that made me fall in love with the draft process in the first place.
2018* stats: 77 Tackles, 4 INT, 4 PBU, 1 FF

4 (117) Caleb Farley CB (6’2” 207) Virginia Tech
https://hokiesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9546

I may be on an island by myself with this kid because no one is talking about him. He just stands out whenever I’ve watched Virginia Tech play the last 2 seasons. A 4-star recruit out of high school, he redshirted his freshman year after he lost his mother to cancer and tore his ACL. He ran 100M, 4x100 relay, did the long jump and triple jump, and was an all-state QB in North Carolina. His athleticism and speed pop off the screen as he’s learning the technical aspect of playing corner. He needs to improve as a tackler but has the size the Cowboys look for in a cornerback.
2019 stats: 17 Tackles, 3 INT, 10 PBU


5 (148) Chase Claypool WR (6’4” 224) Notre Dame
https://und.com/sports/football/roster/season/2019-20/player/chase-claypool/

As a USC homer, it was extremely hard to mock any, let alone two, Notre Dame players to the Cowboys. Claypool is my thesis-in-practice; a big-bodied receiver with basketball skills. He knows how to use his body to position himself and win on contested balls. Displays good explosion and athletic ability to win on jump balls. Strong hands will be valuable in Dallas with concerns about Dak Prescott’s accuracy. His biggest issue, and the reason a talent like him can even be discussed as a possible 5th round pick, will be his long speed. He’s also a bit of a tweener. I can see him having more value as a Y receiver in schemes like Kliff Kingsbury runs.
2019 stats: 37 REC, 554 YDS, 4 TD

7 (212) Hamilcar Rashed Jr. DE (6’4” 235) Oregon State
https://osubeavers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7252

I’ve known Hamilcar since he was a sophomore in high school and he came very close to playing for the community college I coached at before he ended up at Oregon State. Some will argue that he is better suited for a 3-4 scheme, but he has the pass rushing tools and athletic ability to be a pressure RDE. If worried about his lack of weight, he has a similar height and weight as Randy Gregory coming out of Nebraska. Like Gregory, he has the frame to add some bulk without sacrificing speed and explosion. He’s playing lights out right now with 17.5 TFL’s and 12 sacks so his value could shoot up the next few months.
2019 stats: 47 Tackles, 17.5 TFL’s, 12 Sacks, 2 FF’s

 

[Bigdog]

I like the first mock just because I like the first 3 guys although now I don't think Willekes gets to us in the 2nd. I have read where he is making too much buzz. Love to get Davis from Cal. Haven't seen him play but read very good things about him.

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Kenny might not be there for our second and Cole will definitely not be there for our fifth. Just saying.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Okay, we are at the halfway point of the season so it’s time for another mock.

Here’s the link to the ¼ season mock:
https://cowboyszone.com/threads/2020-1-4-season-cowboys-mock.441917/

1 Javon Kinlaw DT South Carolina
2 Kenny Willekes DE Michigan State
3 Ashtyn Davis S Cal
4 Aaron Fuller WR Washington
5 Cole Kmet TE Notre Dame
7 Lavonta Taylor CB Florida State

Nfl.com has us drafting 21st right now (as the lowest ranked playoff team). I use The Draft Network’s simulator (https://thedraftnetwork.com/mock-draft-machine ) to keep myself honest on the draft board. However, I will be adding some “sleepers” in this version.

1 (21) Derrick Brown DT (6’5” 318) Auburn
https://auburntigers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=12823

People are going to argue that he won’t make it to pick 21, but he’s slid to this range a few times when I ran the simulator. He’s exactly what the current Cowboys regime is looking for in a defensive tackle: 1Tech size with 3Tech traits. He’s the inside disruptive force this defensive line needs and if he’s within earshot of the Cowboys 1st round pick, they need to be working the phones to grab him. Very few other players in range of the Cowboys pick will have the impact that Brown would have for Dallas.
2019 stats: 37 Tackles, 8 TFL’s, 4 Sacks, 2 FF’s

2 (53) Cole Kmet TE (6’5” 250) Notre Dame
https://und.com/roster/cole-kmet/

In the previous mock, I took him in the 5th round; he continues to rise up the rankings. Kmet, who also pitches for the Fighting Irish baseball team, missed the first two games of the season with a broken collarbone. Since his return, he has caught a TD in 5 of 6 games, including his 9 catch, 108-yard debut against Georgia. Kmet is a big, athletic target who catches everything thrown his way. He fits the Travis Kelce/TJ Hockenson mold and will be a consistent match-up issue for defenders.
2019 stats: 27 REC, 318 YDS, 5 TD

3 (85) Kenny Robinson S (6’2” 200) St. Louis (XFL) formerly at West Virginia
https://www.xfl.com/en-US/articles/st-louis-battlehawks-roster
https://wvusports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5483

I promised you sleepers and here is the first one. Robinson will be an interesting case study since he is the only XFL player who had remaining college eligibility. He had some academic issues at West Virginia and since he wasn’t eligible for the Supplemental Draft (only 2 years removed from high school graduation,) he opted for the XFL. He started 20 games in 2 seasons for the Mountaineers and was named first team All-Big12 in 2018. He was considered by many to be a legit NFL prospect before leaving school. His draft stock will obviously depend on his play for the St. Louis Battlehawks in their inaugural season (which concludes the weekend of the 2020 draft), but this is the type of move that reminds me of the Gill Brandt era that made me fall in love with the draft process in the first place.
2018* stats: 77 Tackles, 4 INT, 4 PBU, 1 FF

4 (117) Caleb Farley CB (6’2” 207) Virginia Tech
https://hokiesports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=9546

I may be on an island by myself with this kid because no one is talking about him. He just stands out whenever I’ve watched Virginia Tech play the last 2 seasons. A 4-star recruit out of high school, he redshirted his freshman year after he lost his mother to cancer and tore his ACL. He ran 100M, 4x100 relay, did the long jump and triple jump, and was an all-state QB in North Carolina. His athleticism and speed pop off the screen as he’s learning the technical aspect of playing corner. He needs to improve as a tackler but has the size the Cowboys look for in a cornerback.
2019 stats: 17 Tackles, 3 INT, 10 PBU


5 (148) Chase Claypool WR (6’4” 224) Notre Dame
https://und.com/sports/football/roster/season/2019-20/player/chase-claypool/

As a USC homer, it was extremely hard to mock any, let alone two, Notre Dame players to the Cowboys. Claypool is my thesis-in-practice; a big-bodied receiver with basketball skills. He knows how to use his body to position himself and win on contested balls. Displays good explosion and athletic ability to win on jump balls. Strong hands will be valuable in Dallas with concerns about Dak Prescott’s accuracy. His biggest issue, and the reason a talent like him can even be discussed as a possible 5th round pick, will be his long speed. He’s also a bit of a tweener. I can see him having more value as a Y receiver in schemes like Kliff Kingsbury runs.
2019 stats: 37 REC, 554 YDS, 4 TD

7 (212) Hamilcar Rashed Jr. DE (6’4” 235) Oregon State
https://osubeavers.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=7252

I’ve known Hamilcar since he was a sophomore in high school and he came very close to playing for the community college I coached at before he ended up at Oregon State. Some will argue that he is better suited for a 3-4 scheme, but he has the pass rushing tools and athletic ability to be a pressure RDE. If worried about his lack of weight, he has a similar height and weight as Randy Gregory coming out of Nebraska. Like Gregory, he has the frame to add some bulk without sacrificing speed and explosion. He’s playing lights out right now with 17.5 TFL’s and 12 sacks so his value could shoot up the next few months.
2019 stats: 47 Tackles, 17.5 TFL’s, 12 Sacks, 2 FF’s

2 big DT's they were reporting very high on were Star Lotulelie and Vita Vea. They like 1T's high if the have "3T traits". Those are just players that teams spend very high picks on because they are very elusive. I think Brown is there at that pick, I think its very likely he is the guy. A big DT we add is going to playing a 3T gap on pass downs on the strong. Even in a 1 gap scheme, its better to have a bigger strong DT on that side

 

[John813]

Liked it. Just not sold on Robinson in the 3rd.

Sort of watch WV as it was my moms college. Dude was good, but I dunno about a day 2 pick. Guess it's a wait and see on how he does in the XFL.

Dallas likes route runners, but they also have a niche for taller receivers and guys who are willing blockers. Claypool is an interesting WR to watch. May kick off Brown off the team.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Liked it. Just not sold on Robinson in the 3rd.

He was considered a 1st or 2nd round prospect before the academic fraud issues at West Virginia. I don't think NFL teams frown on that too much. Some athletes just are not students.

He was my 3rd ranked overall safety coming into this season behind Grant Delpit and Isaiah Simmons, and my top ranked Free Safety. I know the Big12 is not known for his defense, but I watched a bunch of his 2018 games and I felt he was always around the ball (77 tackles, 4 INT's, 4 PBU's). I'm planning on watching all of the St. Louis games and charting his performance. I may be able to get to some of his practices as well.

Dallas likes route runners, but they also have a niche for taller receivers and guys who are willing blockers. Claypool is an interesting WR to watch. May kick off Brown off the team.

I hadn't thought about that but Claypool is a more athletic version of Brown.

With Dak's accuracy concerns, especially early on in games, I've shifted my WR focus to guys with strong hands. Claypool seems to have two oven mitts for hands and catches everything.

 

[Sydla]

Claypool's body and feet control is impressive. He had a ridiculous sideline catch against VT last week. Kmet is also going to be a pretty good TE as well.

I like the first round picks in both your drafts, King. But that's because I am going to church daily lighting candles that we bring in an elite level DT talent this offseason.

 

[Future]

Pretty low floor, low ceiling draft. It's alright, but I don't think there's any playmakers here.

Is Farley even coming out? I don't think he's NFL ready at all.

 

[KingintheNorth]

low ceiling draft.

I don't agree at all. If anything, I think there 's too many "potential" or high-ceiling picks which can be risky.

Derrick Brown? playmaker. If he somehow slips to our pick, I don't think there's a player (within reasonable range of where we will be drafting) taht would have as much immediate impact as Brown would for the Cowboys.

Kenny Robinson at West Virginia was a playmaker.

Hamilcar Rashed? 17.5 TFL this year already. Huge playmaker.

Farley is a redshirt sophomore so he's 3-years removed from high school and eligible to come out. Not sure if that's where he's headed. He could use another year of seasoning for sure, but I like his tools a lot.

I'm not a fan of taking 5th year seniors who have maxed out athletically and luckily we haven't been taking those guys. Hill was a huge mistake (attitude, character, even on-field performance) but I doubt we shift away from drafting younger, high-SPARQ guys.

 

[Future]

I don't agree at all. If anything, I think there 's too many "potential" or high-ceiling picks which can be risky.

Derrick Brown? playmaker. If he somehow slips to our pick, I don't think there's a player (within reasonable range of where we will be drafting) taht would have as much immediate impact as Brown would for the Cowboys.

Kenny Robinson at West Virginia was a playmaker.

Hamilcar Rashed? 17.5 TFL this year already. Huge playmaker.

Farley is a redshirt sophomore so he's 3-years removed from high school and eligible to come out. Not sure if that's where he's headed. He could use another year of seasoning for sure, but I like his tools a lot.

I'm not a fan of taking 5th year seniors who have maxed out athletically and luckily we haven't been taking those guys. Hill was a huge mistake (attitude, character, even on-field performance) but I doubt we shift away from drafting younger, high-SPARQ guys.

Just not seeing it. There's only one playmaker in the league who plays DT right now, and Brown ain't Aaron Donald. Kmet and Claypool don't have any athletic upside. Robinson I guess could be, but who knows. INTs in the Big XII don't mean anything. Rashed is barely an NFL prospect.

Farley has the tools, but he's not anywhere close at this point.

I agree that I want to take the young SPARQ guys, but that's not what this group is. There's good players, but not really any gamebreakers.

 

[tyke1doe]

Brown's not going to be available.