We’ve made it kids. Happy Football Christmas to all who celebrate! The NFL is always flexing on the rest of the sports landscape, but this is the week they get to rip their shirt off Hulk Hogan-style and fully brandish their unrivaled oiled-up 24-inch pythons. Thursday begins the league’s gluttonous three-day player selection extravaganza, and commissioner Roger Goodell and his 32 billionaire cohorts will once again revel in the fact that a onetime completely ignored offseason event now draws considerably more viewership than the average NBA or NHL playoff game (which are both currently in full swing, apparently). Even Saturday’s Rounds 4-7 matinee will garner about a million more pairs of eyes than Nuggets-Timberwolves, while Thursday’s first-round festivities will likely triple viewership of any hockey or basketball game.
Draft season is so bittersweet for Cowboys fans. On one hand, we can all indulge the fantasy of our team building a complete roster from the shiniest of shiny objects: unproven rookies. Then again, the annual football cattle auction is a bleak reminder that, once again, the Jones cartel is still in charge, and with 30 years passing since their last Lombardi, the Silver and Blue are again not picking last in each round. Draft position is just another scar from the prior season packaged as hope.
Owed largely to Jerral Wayne Jones’ Trumpian megalomania, the irresistible luster of The StarTM, and the fact they possess two first-round picks, the NFL media beast has been feasting on Cowboys draft content for months. With coveted difference makers concentrated in the Top 10 selections, thousands of words have been spilled on myriad trade up/trade down and/or stick-and-pick scenarios. Thanks to the franchise’s unwavering mediocrity, the Dallas roster has plenty of holes to plug. The biggest needs are all on defense. Cornerback, linebacker, edge rusher, and safety all look as thin as Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyer’s Club. Our pair of imbedded and inebriated Cowboys insiders help lay out two different paths to try to paper over those personnel voids.
For our mockery, we’ve used the NFL Mock Draft Database site. In part because they use a consensus ranking system that combines the stacking of dozens of draft sites and “expert” opinions,” but mostly because we already pay for it to be ad-free.
Bo’s Picks
Round 1, Pick 12
Rueben Bain, edge, Miami
I was shocked to find both Bain and LSU corner Mansoor Delane still up for grabs. Both are true first-rounders who would offer a massive upgrade at crucial positions. I went with Bain because edge is thinner in this class, and he is a problem.
The Miami native is versatile, and he plays the run as aggressively as the pass. This dude is a legitimate psycho whose motor runs as hot as his temper. The 6’2, 263-pound ACC defensive player of the year has taken hits in scouting circles for less-than-ideal arm length. Still, he could be a culture-changing agent in a locker room that could use some nastiness.
Round 1, Pick 20
Mansoor Delane, cornerback, LSU
There’s no way this scenario unfolds in real life, but I’d be a fool not to pounce. Mansoor is a CB1 in the making. The Maryland native excels in press cover, where his sticky movement skills, high-end speed, and strength in redirecting receivers can flourish. The first-team AP All-American played through a core injury all year and still dominated. This pick was a no-brainer.
Round 3, Pick 92
Jalon Kilgore, safety, South Carolina
At 6’1, 210 pounds, Kilgore is a long, strong presence at box safety who boasts the wingspan of a condor. The Gamecocks used him in its “star” role,” in which he covered the slot and supported the run. An elite athlete, the Georgia native broke up 10 passes on his way to second-team all-SEC honors. He did miss too many tackles last season, but the upside here was too promising to pass on.
Round 4, Pick 112
Deontae Lawson, linebacker, Alabama
Lawson donned the green dot for Kane Wommack’s Crimson Tide defense. The twitchy, speedy Mobile native is lauded in scouting circles for his elite athleticism. At 6’2, 226, Lawson is on the small side, and he tends to find himself engulfed in the wash on run plays too often. ’Bama’s leading tackler last season profiles as a run-and-hit inside linebacker who will slip more blocks than he takes on.
Trade
Dallas receives San Francisco’s fourth-round pick (No. 139). San Francisco receives Dallas’s fifth- (No. 152) and seventh-round picks (No. 218).
Round 4, Pick 139
Zxavian Harris, defensive tackle, Mississippi
Why trade up 13 spots for a guy who doesn’t fill an immediate need? For one, at 6’7, 330 pounds, Harris brings unique disruption to the middle of the defense. He overwhelms single blockers on the nose, and he collapses one side of the pocket from the five-technique. He’s mainly still on the board because of his lack of contact balance and character concerns. He’s twice been a guest of the Oxford police. The Ole Miss goliath represents some risk, but this could be a Round-4 steal if he stays out of handcuffs.
Round 5, Pick 177
Josh Cameron, wide receiver, Baylor
I was tempted to pick only defensive players, but Cameron is one of my pet cats. The Cedar Park native is built like a running back and never drops the ball. He’s likely a Year 2 or 3 contributor, but a 220-pound dude who can dash at 4.4 is worth the wait.
Round 5, Pick 180
Nater Boerkircher, tight end, Texas A&M
Even with Texas’ Jack Endries still available, the 6’5, 250-pound Nebraska native promises to be a better fit for Brian Schottenheimer’s scheme. Boerkircher is a country-strong plow machine whose nasty streak allows him to take on defensive ends in the run game. As a pass catcher, the Nebraska transfer doesn’t fill up the stat sheet but possesses glue hands and a feel for the sticks.
Troy’s Selections
Round 1, Pick 12
Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn
The trend in mocks in recent weeks sees Dallas package 12 and 20 to move up to get one of the few defensive difference makers in the draft in players like linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Stiles or safety Caleb Downs. Those scenarios require a willing dance partner and therefore are unpredictable, and it’s fairly questionable in terms of value to package a pair of first rounders for a safety or off-ball LB, so I’ve proceeded assuming we stick and pick.
In a nightmare situation in which all six defensive apples of the Cowboys’ eye (Reese, Styles, Downs, edges David Baily and Ruben Bain, and corner Monsoor Delane) go off the board before they’re on the clock, don’t be surprised if Dallas “reaches” for the next best pass rusher in Auburn’s Keldric Faulk. There’s tons of smoke around the Faulk fire, and it’s been heating up more lately. At 6’5”, 288 pounds, Faulk is a monster of a human with elite reach, power, and explosiveness. However, his draft class-best run-stopping ability is neutralized a bit by some middling pass-rush ability.
Odds are long that he’s an immediate-impact QB nightmare, but as a lump of clay, his traits project that he’s moldable into a Demarcus Lawrence-type end with upside.
Round 1, Pick 20
C.J. Allen, linebacker, Georgia
I’d like to see Dallas flip this pick and try to get another Day 2 selection. Defense runs deeper than offense this year, and there’s plenty of talent in the late first/early second that can help the Cowboys immediately. But because of that, it’s a trade-up market this year, and the return might not be what it would be in other years.
Assuming we can’t get a worthy haul and take a player here, Dallas fills its glaring need at the “Green Dot” Mike linebacker spot with Georgia standout C.J. Allen. Rangy and explosive, he can work sideline to sideline and come off the edge in blitz packages. His leadership and signal-calling ability as a Bulldog should translate well to the NFL and help solidify a linebacking core that looked lost more often than not last year.
Round 3, Pick 92
Malik Muhammad, cornerback, Texas
With the pick San Fran tossed for the departed Osa Odighizuwa, we’ll snag Texas corner Malik Muhammad. At an even 6’, 190 pounds, he has prototypical size to match requisite speed and recovery at the position. With sticky coverage, QBs were dookie-throwing to his side of the field. He can be a bit grabby at times and the tendency can potentially get him into DPI trouble at the next level, but as a rotational piece with future starter upside, he can go a long way in helping shore up Dallas’ depleted backfield depth.
Round 4, Pick 112
Genesis Smith, safety, Arizona
Despite landing a pair of free-agent signings at safety in Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke this offseason, the last line of defense remains a need. Arizona safety Genesis Smith represents great value at this point in the draft. At 6’2”, 204, he’s got range and coverage skills to play centerfield. He’s spotty in run support due to some poor angles and subpar tackling but has the size and willingness to play downhill. Smith can slide in right away as a replacement for the Cowboys’ former biggest thumper in the departed Donovan Wilson.
Round 5, Pick 152
Trey Zuhn III, offensive tackle, Texas A&M
Though the most glaring holes are on the other side of the ball, O-line is a sneaky need for this team, especially on the outside. Third-year blindside protector Tyler Guyton is still a question mark, and his counterpart on the other end, Terrence Steele, was a potential post-June-1-designated cut this offseason. A&M’s Trey Zuhn can step in as a swing tackle with interior flex, giving Dallas some much-needed depth along the line.
Round 5, Pick 177
Jeff Caldwell, wide receiver, Cincinnati
With George Pickens’ future beyond 2026 still in question, the depth at receiver behind CeeDee Lamb drops off sharply without No. 3. That’s not to say you can replace GP with a late fifth rounder, but at worst you can give your team something they don’t have, a lightning-fast palm tree on the outside. At 6’5” and boasting 33” arms, Cinci’s James Caldwell has rare size at the wideout position. Add to that a 4.31 40, and they just don’t make many like him. His route tree is limited, but as a big X downfield and endzone fade threat, he could be the guy the Cowboys were hoping they were getting with Johnathan Mingo.
Round 5, Pick 180
Ephesians Prysock, cornerback, Washington
Just three picks later, we’re not done chasing length and speed. Washington corner Ephesians Prysock is not only the runaway frontrunner in votes for the draft All Name team, he’s also an intriguing prospect at 6’3”, 196 with a 4.4 40. He’s got inside/outside flex but struggles at tackling. He could improve that as he contributes to special teams as he develops toward his ceiling as a steady starter.
Round 7, Pick 218
Jack Kelly, linebacker, BYU
We close the draft with another double dip, this time at linebacker. With the unknown of Demarvion Overshown’s knees, Shemar James is the only healthy inside LB currently on the roster. Even with the Allen pick in the first, Dallas needs bodies at this position. BYU’s Jack Kelly has size and side-to-side mobility with some pass-rush upside.
