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For example, make their first-round pick at No. 24 by removing the top 23 players on Brugler’s board. Any player outside of that top 23 is available to be the Cowboys’ pick at 24. We did that for Dallas’ first three picks, Nos. 24, 56 and 87. We then included some highlights about the picks that best fit the Cowboys from Brugler’s analysis of those players.
Here are the three selections we made.
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Round 1, pick No. 24
Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
This was the easiest pick of the three. The Cowboys would have to be thrilled if Guyton is still there at 24. Left tackle is their biggest need, and they’d be getting a player many have projected to go in the top 20. Other notable players who were still available at 24: Penn State DE Chop Robinson, West Virginia C Zach Frazier, Missouri DE Darius Robinson and BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia.
Brugler ranks Guyton as the sixth-best offensive tackle in the class. The 6-7, 322-pounder played mostly on the right side the last two years. He started nine games at right tackle last season. One of the criticisms of Guyton is that he has only 15 career starts. Of course, there are going to be criticisms of any of the offensive tackles still on the board at Pick 24. And even more so if the Cowboys addressed the position at Pick 56 or later.
“Guyton is a work in progress in several areas,” Brugler wrote, “and a steep learning curve should be expected for his rookie season, but he has the athletic tools and fundamental skills to develop into a high-level offensive tackle. He has the talent to play left or right tackle, although his comfort level is clearly on the right side. As long as he stays motivated and healthy, he will continue on an upward trajectory.”
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Round 2, pick No. 56
Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
The best players available at this point were Kansas OG Dominick Puni, LSU DT Maason Smith, Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders and Houston OT Patrick Paul. If the Cowboys had gone in a different direction at 24, Puni or Paul would’ve made more sense. Puni has position flex at tackle, guard and center but is expected to be an NFL guard. If the Cowboys had drafted a different player at 24, Puni could be the pick here with the idea that LG Tyler Smith could make the move out to left tackle.
Sanders is Brugler’s No. 2 tight end in this class. Had Jake Ferguson not stepped up last season and had Dallas not used a second-round pick on TE Luke Schoonmaker last year, maybe Sanders would make more sense. But a tight end seems unlikely with one of the Cowboys’ early-round picks.
This one came down to Smith or whoever the Cowboys see as the second-best running back in this class. In this scenario, Texas RB Jonathon Brooks was already off the board.
Drafting a defensive tackle fits a major need. If they feel like there is a quality starter to be had at this point, make that pick. But judging by the recent return on investment the Cowboys have received from their defensive tackles in the first and second rounds (Mazi Smith, Trysten Hill), we went with an instant-impact starting running back. Brugler has Michigan’s Blake Corum as his No. 2 back, but we went with the bigger, faster, younger player, Benson.
“Benson’s vision and run instincts tend to be spotty, but he runs hard off tackle with the burst and balance to stay afloat through contact,” Brugler wrote about his No. 3-ranked RB. “Cut in the Melvin Gordon mold, he projects best as part of an NFL committee, in which he’d have any-down and big-play potential.”
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Round 3, pick No. 87
Wisconsin, C, Tanor Bortolini
There were three options here that all made some sense. Bortolini, North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson and Texas DT T’Vondre Sweat.
Wilson is Brugler’s No. 4-ranked off-the-ball linebacker. The position is one of the Cowboys’ biggest needs. But Wilson’s injury history could be a major issue for teams. Brugler wrote that Wilson has had double-digit surgeries (knees, shoulders) since his senior year of high school.
Sweat would provide Dallas with much-needed size in the middle. He’s 6-4, 366 pounds. But his draft stock could take a hit after he was recently arrested and charged with DWI.
Bortolini is Brugler’s No. 4 center with a third- to fourth-round grade. The Cowboys do not have a fourth-round pick. Will there still be a starting-caliber center in the fifth round? This isn’t to say they should force this pick just because center is one of their biggest needs. There could still be starters in the later rounds. This is considered to be a strong center class. But we decided to give Dallas its third consecutive center from Wisconsin, following in the footsteps of Tyler Biadasz and Travis Frederick.
"Bortolini, who broke Jason Kelce’s combine record with the best three-cone (7.16 seconds) among interior linemen, might have the best combination of athleticism and smarts in this draft class,” Brugler wrote. “He lacks ideal length to create separation and is guilty of excessive forward lean into contact, but he will strain to finish cutoffs and eventually settle versus power rushers.
“Overall, Bortolini had persistent hiccups on his 2023 tape, but the guard-to-center transition is rarely immediate, and he offers encouraging upside, thanks to his fluidity, intelligence and technical skill. He projects as an eventual NFL starter with position flexibility across the interior.”
