Risen Star
Likes Collector
- Messages
- 87,169
- Reaction score
- 204,901
Using the PFN mock draft simulator.
Round 1, Pick 24
Graham Barton, OL, Duke
The best players available included Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Missouri DE Darius Robinson and BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia. While we discussed Guyton, Barton ended up being the pick mainly because we wanted to see how the rest of the draft would unfold if offensive tackle wasn’t addressed in Round 1. In this scenario, the Cowboys would get an immediate plug-and-play starter at center or guard. Most likely, Barton would work at center. If that happened, Dallas could still attempt to get a starting left tackle in one of the next two rounds, but it would seemingly signal moving Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle. T.J. Bass could then potentially be the starting left guard.
Guyton makes a lot of sense if Dallas thinks he can be its starting left tackle. There will be quality center options in the second and third rounds. Will that be the case at left tackle? The decision could come down to where Barton is on the Cowboys’ board. If he is significantly higher than any of the tackle options, he should be the pick. The last thing the Cowboys should do is reach for an offensive tackle just because it’s arguably their biggest need. It still seems like offensive line is the overwhelming favorite for Dallas’ first-round pick.
-
Round 2, Pick 56
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
The Cowboys added depth and experience to the running back room by signing Royce Freeman last week but it’s still a position that doesn’t have a featured playmaker. This selection is going to be fascinating because there are justifications for a few different directions. If one is to argue that taking a running back in the second round is a tad bit early because a comparable talent could be had in the third round, that’s a fair point. Landing a player like Jaylen Wright, or even Braelon Allen, in the third round would still add juice to the backfield. If the Cowboys can trade back and add a third- or fourth-round pick, that could be the route they go.
However, the second round is where the Cowboys may mostly be able to have their pick of any running back they want. In this mock, only Trey Benson had gone off the board when the Cowboys were on the clock. If the Cowboys had done a better job in free agency and not left so many other holes on the roster, picking Brooks here would be an even easier decision. Although Brooks is coming off a torn ACL late last season, he’ll add a dimension that is sorely lacking for this team. He’s an elusive runner, capable receiver and solid blocker. He can play all three downs, but would likely fit in more as part of a committee that could also include Rico Dowdle, Freeman, Deuce Vaughn and/or Malik Davis.
If used in the right situations, and with the right dosage, Brooks can be an exciting component of the Cowboys’ offense, much like Tony Pollard was before he was asked to be the bell cow.
-
Round 3, Pick 87
Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
If the Cowboys get out of the first round without drafting a tackle, be it at No. 24 or slightly later following a trade back, they will likely have made peace with Tyler Smith as their left tackle for 2024 and Bass as the leader in the clubhouse for left guard. Despite their insistence on wanting to keep Smith at left guard, the fallback scenario isn’t terrible for the upcoming season and it doesn’t mean that Smith has to make a permanent switch to the outside. It also doesn’t mean the Cowboys should just rip the tackle page out of their draft book and not add a player at the position with one of their premium picks.
With respect to Chuma Edoga and Asim Richards, Rosengarten would become a prime candidate to be the Cowboys’ primary swing tackle in 2024. Similar to other tackles discussed in recent weeks for the Cowboys, much of Rosengarten’s work recently in college came at right tackle, but he has a history at left tackle in high school and early in college. After getting his feet wet against NFL competition and getting more coaching, Rosengarten could become the Cowboys’ answer at left tackle. This is a selection that will require patience from the team and fan base, which doesn’t exactly align with the messaging this offseason. That can’t be held against Rosengarten and shouldn’t result in him being rushed into a role he isn’t ready for.
-
Round 5, Pick 174
Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State
This seemed like a great value late in the fifth round. The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler has a third-fourth round grade on Eichenberg. Linebacker is a position of need, especially after Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones commented last week about Dallas’ defensive changes with Mike Zimmer as the new defensive coordinator.
"Philosophically, I think we’ll have more of a three-linebacker system rather than a two-linebacker and three-safety system,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I think the other thing is we’ll probably look to be bigger and stronger in the middle.”
The Cowboys signed veteran Eric Kendricks to go along with Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown, but more linebackers are needed. It would be surprising if Dallas didn’t draft at least one this weekend.
-
Round 6, Pick 216
Jaden Crumedy, DT, Mississippi State
When Jones noted getting “bigger and stronger” in the middle of the defense, he was talking about defensive tackle. It’s no secret the Cowboys’ run defense has been an issue for several years. After losing Johnathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore in free agency, Dallas needs to draft defensive tackle help.
“His quickness and length show in the run game when he has lanes to pursue,” Brugler wrote about Crumedy in “The Beast.” “But he plays with inconsistent gap control and allows angle blocks to get too far into him. Overall, Crumedy’s tape is more sporadic than consistent, but if you grade the flashes, not many 300-pounders have his athletic movements and power potential, which will keep him around if his fire stays lit. He projects as a rotational three-technique in a 4-3 or five-technique in odd fronts.”
-
Round 7, Pick 233
Ryan Watts, S, Texas
Watts is the type of player in a draft who has sleeper potential because he has a lot of the tools that are hard to develop at this stage but he hasn’t quite put it all together yet. With the Cowboys losing depth (CB Stephon Gilmore and safety Jayron Kearse) in the defensive backfield, there will likely be internal upgrades from the special teams ranks, such as Juanyeh Thomas or Eric Scott Jr. Watts could be a solid candidate to slide into that primary special teams role and be an asset for John Fassel while he develops his skills defensively. The Cowboys would also have the option to start working with him at safety, cornerback or even a hybrid option.
-
Round 7, Pick 244
Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
With most of the positions of need addressed, this seemed like a decent time to add more depth at linebacker. Even if Watson doesn’t immediately contribute on defense, the Cowboys could certainly use the help on special teams, another area where they are looking to get bigger compared to last season. Watson is considered a tackling machine, leading the SEC with 137 tackles last season and totaling 113 in 2022.
“Watson’s average agility and erratic instincts lead to inconsistencies, but he has size, quick reaction speed and tackling skills to fill up the stat sheet,” wrote Brugler, who had a sixth-round grade on Watson. “He will need to shine on special teams to lock up a backup role for an NFL defense.”
-
Unless the Cowboys add more picks, or make a trade for a veteran, it’s unlikely they come out of the draft filling all of their roster needs. Even then, it’s possible to feel good about how things look on paper in April, but the average hit rate of a draft haul indicates that it’s going to take more than what happens this week to address their needs. They were a flawed team that was exposed in the playoffs and their activity — or lack thereof — in free agency added to that.
Round 1, Pick 24
Graham Barton, OL, Duke
The best players available included Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, Missouri DE Darius Robinson and BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia. While we discussed Guyton, Barton ended up being the pick mainly because we wanted to see how the rest of the draft would unfold if offensive tackle wasn’t addressed in Round 1. In this scenario, the Cowboys would get an immediate plug-and-play starter at center or guard. Most likely, Barton would work at center. If that happened, Dallas could still attempt to get a starting left tackle in one of the next two rounds, but it would seemingly signal moving Tyler Smith from left guard to left tackle. T.J. Bass could then potentially be the starting left guard.
Guyton makes a lot of sense if Dallas thinks he can be its starting left tackle. There will be quality center options in the second and third rounds. Will that be the case at left tackle? The decision could come down to where Barton is on the Cowboys’ board. If he is significantly higher than any of the tackle options, he should be the pick. The last thing the Cowboys should do is reach for an offensive tackle just because it’s arguably their biggest need. It still seems like offensive line is the overwhelming favorite for Dallas’ first-round pick.
-
Round 2, Pick 56
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
The Cowboys added depth and experience to the running back room by signing Royce Freeman last week but it’s still a position that doesn’t have a featured playmaker. This selection is going to be fascinating because there are justifications for a few different directions. If one is to argue that taking a running back in the second round is a tad bit early because a comparable talent could be had in the third round, that’s a fair point. Landing a player like Jaylen Wright, or even Braelon Allen, in the third round would still add juice to the backfield. If the Cowboys can trade back and add a third- or fourth-round pick, that could be the route they go.
However, the second round is where the Cowboys may mostly be able to have their pick of any running back they want. In this mock, only Trey Benson had gone off the board when the Cowboys were on the clock. If the Cowboys had done a better job in free agency and not left so many other holes on the roster, picking Brooks here would be an even easier decision. Although Brooks is coming off a torn ACL late last season, he’ll add a dimension that is sorely lacking for this team. He’s an elusive runner, capable receiver and solid blocker. He can play all three downs, but would likely fit in more as part of a committee that could also include Rico Dowdle, Freeman, Deuce Vaughn and/or Malik Davis.
If used in the right situations, and with the right dosage, Brooks can be an exciting component of the Cowboys’ offense, much like Tony Pollard was before he was asked to be the bell cow.
-
Round 3, Pick 87
Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington
If the Cowboys get out of the first round without drafting a tackle, be it at No. 24 or slightly later following a trade back, they will likely have made peace with Tyler Smith as their left tackle for 2024 and Bass as the leader in the clubhouse for left guard. Despite their insistence on wanting to keep Smith at left guard, the fallback scenario isn’t terrible for the upcoming season and it doesn’t mean that Smith has to make a permanent switch to the outside. It also doesn’t mean the Cowboys should just rip the tackle page out of their draft book and not add a player at the position with one of their premium picks.
With respect to Chuma Edoga and Asim Richards, Rosengarten would become a prime candidate to be the Cowboys’ primary swing tackle in 2024. Similar to other tackles discussed in recent weeks for the Cowboys, much of Rosengarten’s work recently in college came at right tackle, but he has a history at left tackle in high school and early in college. After getting his feet wet against NFL competition and getting more coaching, Rosengarten could become the Cowboys’ answer at left tackle. This is a selection that will require patience from the team and fan base, which doesn’t exactly align with the messaging this offseason. That can’t be held against Rosengarten and shouldn’t result in him being rushed into a role he isn’t ready for.
-
Round 5, Pick 174
Tommy Eichenberg, LB, Ohio State
This seemed like a great value late in the fifth round. The Athletic’s NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler has a third-fourth round grade on Eichenberg. Linebacker is a position of need, especially after Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones commented last week about Dallas’ defensive changes with Mike Zimmer as the new defensive coordinator.
"Philosophically, I think we’ll have more of a three-linebacker system rather than a two-linebacker and three-safety system,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “I think the other thing is we’ll probably look to be bigger and stronger in the middle.”
The Cowboys signed veteran Eric Kendricks to go along with Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown, but more linebackers are needed. It would be surprising if Dallas didn’t draft at least one this weekend.
-
Round 6, Pick 216
Jaden Crumedy, DT, Mississippi State
When Jones noted getting “bigger and stronger” in the middle of the defense, he was talking about defensive tackle. It’s no secret the Cowboys’ run defense has been an issue for several years. After losing Johnathan Hankins and Neville Gallimore in free agency, Dallas needs to draft defensive tackle help.
“His quickness and length show in the run game when he has lanes to pursue,” Brugler wrote about Crumedy in “The Beast.” “But he plays with inconsistent gap control and allows angle blocks to get too far into him. Overall, Crumedy’s tape is more sporadic than consistent, but if you grade the flashes, not many 300-pounders have his athletic movements and power potential, which will keep him around if his fire stays lit. He projects as a rotational three-technique in a 4-3 or five-technique in odd fronts.”
-
Round 7, Pick 233
Ryan Watts, S, Texas
Watts is the type of player in a draft who has sleeper potential because he has a lot of the tools that are hard to develop at this stage but he hasn’t quite put it all together yet. With the Cowboys losing depth (CB Stephon Gilmore and safety Jayron Kearse) in the defensive backfield, there will likely be internal upgrades from the special teams ranks, such as Juanyeh Thomas or Eric Scott Jr. Watts could be a solid candidate to slide into that primary special teams role and be an asset for John Fassel while he develops his skills defensively. The Cowboys would also have the option to start working with him at safety, cornerback or even a hybrid option.
-
Round 7, Pick 244
Nathaniel Watson, LB, Mississippi State
With most of the positions of need addressed, this seemed like a decent time to add more depth at linebacker. Even if Watson doesn’t immediately contribute on defense, the Cowboys could certainly use the help on special teams, another area where they are looking to get bigger compared to last season. Watson is considered a tackling machine, leading the SEC with 137 tackles last season and totaling 113 in 2022.
“Watson’s average agility and erratic instincts lead to inconsistencies, but he has size, quick reaction speed and tackling skills to fill up the stat sheet,” wrote Brugler, who had a sixth-round grade on Watson. “He will need to shine on special teams to lock up a backup role for an NFL defense.”
-
Unless the Cowboys add more picks, or make a trade for a veteran, it’s unlikely they come out of the draft filling all of their roster needs. Even then, it’s possible to feel good about how things look on paper in April, but the average hit rate of a draft haul indicates that it’s going to take more than what happens this week to address their needs. They were a flawed team that was exposed in the playoffs and their activity — or lack thereof — in free agency added to that.
