DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - It is officially draft month in the NFL, and since we know the Cowboys like to build their team through the draft, it’s also a critical month for the future of America’s Team.
We’re three weeks and a day from Dallas’ first pick, so we’ll use each of the next four Wednesdays to run through a mock draft exercise.
Today we’ll be using the mock draft simulator from Pro Football Network.
ROUND 1, PICK 24
In this simulation there were four of the Cowboys’ pre-draft visitors that went off the board: Mississippi State OT Charles Cross, Boston College OG Zion Johnson, Georgia DT Jordan Davis, and USC WR Drake London.
Dallas still has pre-draft visitors on the board in Ohio State WR Chris Olave, Utah LB Devin Lloyd, Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, and Texas A&M OG Kenyon Green. There are other intriguing names on the board as well like Washington corners Trent McDuffie and Kyler Gordon, Michigan pass rusher David Ojabo, and Georgia LB Nakobe Dean.
I think this pick comes down to Burks and Green for the Cowboys, two players that I think Dallas likes a great deal. My guess is they have Burks a little higher than Green, but Jerry Jones made it clear at league meetings that an offensive lineman who could come in and start right away is a priority. Green definitely fits that description, and he has the flexibility to play tackle.
I might take Burks myself, but I think in this scenario the Cowboys would go with Green.
PICK: Texas A&M OG Kenyon Green
ROUND 2, PICK 56
A couple of Dallas’ 30 visits that could have been in play for them in the second round have gone off the board. Texas A&M DL DeMarvin Leal went 48 to the Bears, and Cincinnati EDGE Myjai Sanders went 53 to the Packers.
This spot feels ripe for a wide receiver though. The Cowboys need a legitimate third receiver to play alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup.
Guys like Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, North Dakota State’s Christian Watson, and Alabama’s John Metchie have all gone ahead of this pick, but a few intriguing names remain. This comes down to Georgia WR George Pickens, South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert, and Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore.
New WR coach Robert Prince wants to add an elite route-runner, and all three of these guys are very good technicians. I think you have to lean Moore here, however. He's the best route-runner in the bunch for my money, and the testing was off the charts in Indianapolis.
PICK: Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore
ROUND 3, PICK 88
It’s probably time to go ahead and grab someone for the defensive side of the ball. I think the Cowboys would like to grab a pass rusher here, but is the value there?
This feels like a spot where the Cowboys would like to grab Ole Miss EDGE Sam Williams, but he went off the board to the Jaguars at pick 62.
Our best bets here would be Dominique Robinson from Miami (OH), Jesse Luketa from Penn State, DeAngelo Malone from Western Kentucky, and Alex Wright from UAB.
I’m going to go with Dominique Robinson here. He’s from a smaller school, and is a converted wide receiver, but the natural ability is there, and he has the type of athleticism I think the Cowboys would be looking for in their first EDGE pick of the draft.
PICK: Miami (OH) DE Dominique Robinson
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REST OF THE DRAFT
ROUND 4, PICK 129: Nebraska C Cameron Jurgens
ROUND 5, PICK 155: SMU TE Grant Calcaterra
ROUND 5, PICK 167: Michigan RB Hassan Haskins
ROUND 5, PICK 176: Iowa State LB Mike Rose
ROUND 5, PICK 178: Louisiana OT Max Mitchell
ROUND 6, PICK 193: Stanford DT Thomas Booker
Cowboys cover their bases with some decent value picks on day three of the draft in this scenario.
Jurgens is a poor man’s version of Iowa C Tyler Linderbaum. He could develop into a really nice player one day, and he’s a guy the Cowboys brought in on a 30 visit.
With Ezekiel Elliott’s future uncertain, and Tony Pollard entering the final year of his contract, the Cowboys will almost certainly draft a running back later this month. Haskins would be a solid buy in the fifth round. He does more of what Elliott does than Pollard, with a physical running style that wears down defenses.
If Max Mitchell falls to the Cowboys all the way at the end of the fifth round, that would be another really strong developmental prospect on the offensive line.
We’ll know in a short 24 days just how many of these players end out with a star on the side of their helmet.