Dallas Cowboys 7 round mock draft

Trenton Corn gives us his seven round mock draft for the Dallas Cowboys, if he was in control of the front office.

With Jerry & Stephen Jones’s definition of “all-in” being letting Tyron Smith, Tony Pollard, Tyler Biadasz, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler and Jonathan Hankins all walk this offseason (not to mention the release of Michael Gallup and the retirement of Leighton Vander Esch) and signing only Eric Kendricks, there’s a LOT of pressure on Dallas having a home run draft here in April.

In the past, Dallas has been arguably the best in the league in that department, as it’s obvious they like to build their roster through the draft.

However, a swing and a miss in last year’s class has them with their backs against the wall in a must win season, considering it’s the last year of Mike McCarthy’s contract as head coach and the organization hasn’t even came close to an extension with Dak Prescott this offseason, creating the opportunity for him to walk freely next summer.

In this simulation, I’m going to take control of the franchise and give you guys a “what I would do” scenario of what the Cowboys draft could look like.

Round 1:

Before we make our first selection, it’s important to note that Dallas notoriously drafts best player available on draft night. Evidence of that would be when they selected Ceedee Lamb, although they had Amari Cooper on the roster in 2020.

However, I feel as if the team moved away from their recipe and focused more so on team needs in last year’s draft, which resulted in a poor draft class. The problem with that? With how this roster is constructed, Dallas is going to have to reach for team needs again this year, which has me skeptical.

The selection: Xavier Worthy, WR

Tyler Smith could be the teams Tyron Smith replacement at Left Tackle (Jerry Jones has hinted at that), Last years first round pick of Mazi Smith is expected to take the step up to replace Jonathan Hankins along the interior of the defensive line and the signing of Eric Kendricks and the return of last years 3rd round pick, DeMarvion Overshown should help with the loss of Vander Esch and could even potentially become an upgrade at the position.

My rational for the Worthy selection is simple. Michael Gallup is gone, Brandin Cooks is older and on an expiring contract and if we haven’t learned anything by these Dak Prescott contract talks, I’m not 100% certain Dallas will sign Ceedee Lamb long term, as insane as that sounds.

Lamb, Cooks, Ferguson and Worthy would create a very exciting weaponry for Dak Prescott. When you take into account Luke Schoonmaker (2nd round selection last year) hopefully taking a step forward, this offense could potentially be superior to last year’s unit.

Round 2:

I didn’t do anything in round one, but Dallas will undoubtedly need to trade down once or twice in this years draft, in order to ensure they get enough draft capital to fill holes throughout their roster.

The trade partner isn’t important, but Baltimore traded picks 62 and 165 for the Cowboys 56th overall pick and their 6th round selection in 2025, during this simulation.

For Baltimore, they likely won’t draft a wideout pick 30 overall, but could stand to improve at that position. This trade up allows them to have a shot at selecting guys like Troy Franklin, Xavier Legette, Malachi Corley or Ricky Pearsall.

The selection (62): Payton Wilson, LB

Wilson probably will drop a little due to his injury history, but he will add much needed depth to coach Mike Zimmer’s Linebacker room. Standing in at 6’3” 233 pounds and running a 4.43 40 time at the combine, Wilson’s instincts, explosiveness and lateral agility in pursuit is honestly very eerily similar to what Vander Esch brought to the table at the position. Eric Kendricks, DeMarvion Overshown and Wilson puts Dallas in a much better situation at the position, compared to last season.

Round 3:

With no pick until the 5th round (167th overall from the Baltimore trade) after this selection, we’ll need to ensure Dallas gets more draft capital. Upon looking at potential trade targets, I found out that the LA Rams have ELEVEN draft picks in this years draft. For a team that A: Wants to get back to competing and B: doesn’t value draft picks in the slightest, they were the perfect trade down partner. I have them trading picks 99 and 196 for 87 overall.

The selection (99): Beaux Limmer, IOL

As mentioned above, with no pick until 165 (Obtained from the Baltimore trade), this draft selection has to be an immediate impact player. We can’t have another Schoonmaker situation.

The Limmer selection will not only help the ground game, but will keep Dak Prescott standing as well. He has a very nice frame and pairs it with elite combine testing metrics. Additionally, he has positional versatility, as he’ll compete with TJ Bass to start at either guard or center, moving Tyler Smith outside to Tackle.

Round 5:

Dallas now has two picks in this round. With these selections, Dallas needs guys who don’t necessarily have to start, but needs to provide valuable depth early on for the team.

The selection (165): DeCameron Richardson, CB

Hailing from Mississippi State, Richardson left the draft combine leading all Cornerbacks in NFL next gen stats athleticism score. His RAS score ranked 52nd out of 2222 CB’s dating back from 1987, thanks to his long 6’2” frame and 4.34 40 yard dash time. Athletically, he reminds me of Tariq Woolen, who was the 153rd pick in the 2022 draft. With Stephon Gilmore likely not back on the team, Dallas could stand to dip into the position during the draft to develop behind Trevon Diggs, Daron Bland and Jourdan Lewis.

The selection (174): Khristian Boyd, DT

Boyd is an older player from a small school, but PFF’s metrics are high on the Northern Iowa defensive tackle, leading me to believe that he could become a late round value. He’s got good weight on him, appropriate length and an explosive first step that I don’t think any other defensive tackle in this draft quite has. He didn’t get invited to the combine, but turned heads at the Shrine Bowl, which is hosted at “The Star” in Dallas. If Dallas waits on defensive tackle early on in the draft, Boyd is my DREAM late round selection.

Round 6:

These later rounds Dallas has notoriously used to select special team weapons for coach John Fassel.

The selection (196): Kalen DeLoach, LB

DeLoach will cut his teeth on special teams, but the athletic Linebacker had seven sacks last season at Florida State and with his 4.47 40 time (second fastest at the position), along with a great display of ball skills when in school, DeLoach could become one of the biggest sleepers in this years draft.

The selection (216): Rasheen Ali, RB

Ali led college football in rushing touchdowns in 2021 and after taking time away from football in 2022, returned to being a 1,000 yard back in 2023. He excels as an explosive one cut back, who’s also flashed three down potential with his pass catching ability. With where the RB position is at currently, selecting a late round back like Ali is the way to go. it would not shock me to look up at seasons end and see him having a Isaiah Pacheco (7th round pick for Kansas City in 2022) type of impact for Dallas in year one.

Round 7:

With the likelihood of these players actually making the roster next season, I am swinging for the fences and trying to select high upside players at this point in the draft. Additionally, Dallas has done a VERY good job of finding solid UDFA prospects these past few years and we’ll likely continue that trend again this season.

The selection (233): Frank Crum, OT

Crum was likely to become an undrafted prospect, until he went bonkers at the combine. The 6’8” 313 pound offensive tackle ran a 4.94 second forty yard dash time and registered a 9’6” broad jump, en route to a 9.83 RAS score, which ranked 23rd out of 1330 OT’s since 1987. The negative to all of that? The 5th year senior doesn’t show on tape the ability to use that athleticism in space very often and still has a lot to work on technically. However, he could potentially push Matt Waletzko for a roster spot during camp. Like Waletzko, if he develops into his athleticism, he could become a starting tackle at the next level.

The selection (244): Kedon Slovis, QB

Slovis has became a QB that many are labeling “this years Brock Purdy” and some advanced metrics even has him as a comparable prospect coming into the league. With the uncertainty around Dak Prescott, I don’t see anything wrong with bringing Slovis in to at-least push guys like Trey Lance at camp.