With just days until the 2024 NFL Combine, let’s jump into a mock draft for each of the Dallas Cowboys’ first three picks. The significance of this year’s draft for the Dallas Cowboys is huge.
2024 is shaping up to be a make-or-break season, and hitting on these three draft picks is crucial to making sure this year is not just another disappointment.
Dallas has a great opportunity to fill weaknesses heading into this draft; their biggest needs, like the offensive line, wide receiver, and defensive tackle, are all strong suits of this draft class.
The task is going to be finding guys that fill those weaknesses and have the potential to contribute in their rookie season.
It is no secret that the Cowboys’ 2023 draft class gave them close to nothing last year.
For Dallas to turn things around and contend for a Super Bowl in 2024, they need a productive rookie class.
Here is a look at the picks I see the Cowboys making as we head into the combine.
R1-24: Graham Barton, IOL, Duke
The hype on former Duke Blue Devil, Graham Barton, has stalled some since the beginning of the offseason.
At this point, names like Tyler Guyton, Jordan Morgan, and Amarius Mims have taken his place as the most mocked offensive lineman for Dallas.
Barton is very much still in play, however.
With the impending free agency of both Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz, it is tough to say for sure whether left tackle or center will become the Cowboys’ biggest need on the offensive line, but we do see which way the wind is blowing.
Early indications are Dallas will bring back Smith and pass on Biadasz.
This would create a major weakness at the center position, and it is how I ended up on Barton as the pick in this spot.
Unlike the offensive tackle prospects being heavily mentioned, Barton has experience playing out there and on the inside of the line.
His ability to play multiple spots and projection as a center is very attractive for Dallas.
Do you need him as a day-one starter at center? He can handle that.
Can he kick outside to tackle if Smith or Terence Steele go down? Absolutely.
He is one of the few linemen in this class who can offer that kind of versatility and first-round caliber talent.
R2-56: Junior Colson, LB, Michigan
The Cowboys continue their drafting Michigan Wolverines trend here with standout Linebacker, Junior Colson.
Similar to the Barton pick, this is straying away some from the linebackers you hear most often associated with Dallas.
The truth is, Edgerrin Cooper and Payton Wilson, the top two linebackers in the class, are just flat-out unlikely to be available at this pick.
If the board falls as I expect it to, Colson will be the best linebacker available at 56 for Dallas.
Their weakness at linebacker has pushed the Cowboys into a corner where they need to draft one in the first three rounds.
In this scenario, nobody else has fallen down the board to become an obvious steal, so you add to your biggest weak spot with Colson.
That said, this pick should not be looked at as a consolation prize.
Colson is one of the top three linebackers in the class, and some will have him even higher than that. He put up over 95 total tackles in each of the last two seasons.
There is no doubt in my mind that adding Colson to the roster, as it stands now, makes him the best linebacker on the defense.
He has both the potential and existing skillset to become a star in Mike Zimmer’s scheme.
Micah Parsons recently said he hopes Dallas adds a big linebacker that can get downhill.
If the Cowboys draft Colson with this pick, Parsons will be getting his wish and more.
This is a no-brainer in my opinion.
R3-87: Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
This would be a significant fall for former Longhorn, Jonathon Brooks, but the medical questions surrounding him might just make this a reality.
I have Brooks ranked as the best running back in the class and as a top-30 player; the problem for him is the NFL is valuing his position less and less and he suffered a full ACL tear just four months ago.
Prior to the injury, Brooks ran for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 11 games.
He is a fantastic player when he is on the field.
Nobody is talking about any running back in this class as a potential first-rounder.
So, if teams start looking in the second and third rounds and see a healthy option in comparison to Brooks, they might look right past him.
This benefits Dallas because I believe they would consider him in the second round, but the need and value in drafting a linebacker simply outweighs running back at that spot.
The Tony Pollard era should be over, and drafting Brooks gives them a perfect replacement.
Whether or not his medicals turn up good this week at the combine is going to be the biggest moment of the draft season for Brooks; good news and his stock could rise, bad news and he could fall off draft boards.
The Cowboys have shown a tendency to draft players with medical questions before, and if Brooks is available at this spot they are going to do it once again.
If an opportunity presents itself, they need to keep this Texas native home as their future RB1.