With the 2022 NFL Draft now in the books, I wanted to get a head start and jump into a way-too-early preview of next year’s draft. While it’s impossible to predict all the teams’ exact draft spots, getting a sneak peek of what players could be in play for the Cowboys is always fun.
With that in mind, check out which prospects people have been mocking to the Boys in the 2023 NFL Draft.
CBS Sports
In this mock, CBS Sports used Sportsline Super Bowl Odds but in reverse order to determine the draft order. So for those fans who are wondering why the Cowboys don’t have the first pick, well… the franchise isn’t THAT bad. Or are they? That’s a topic for another day.
Going off the draft order, CBS Sports Writer Ryan Wilson had the Cowboys at Pick 24 for a second straight season and selecting Oklahoma Wide Receiver Marvin Mims. While you’re not landing a stud wideout like Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba or Pitt WR Jordan Addison, (who are likely to going to be the first two wideouts in next year’s class), Mims is still a solid playmaker that could help the Cowboys offense in the future.
Adding Mims makes sense if the James Washington experiment doesn’t work out and if the franchise believes he adds another element to their offense. However, with the franchise drafting South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert this year, there may not be enough spots open for the Mims selection.
Also, if Tolbert slides into that WR3 spot, the club did sign some sleeper UDFA WRs who arguably should have been drafted, so there is a chance that they make the 53-man roster and Mims doesn’t fit a need.
If you want a breakdown of those WRs, check out ITS Writer Nick Coppola’s article over the Top 10 undrafted free agents the Cowboys signed that included two wideouts.
Let’s move on to the next mock.
The Athletic
Just like CBS Sports, this mock went off Super Bowl odds to determine the draft order. While the odds they used were slightly different, the Cowboys only slid up one spot in NFL Writer Dane Brugler’s Mock Draft for The Athletic, so it wasn’t a huge jump or drop for them.
With the 23rd pick, Brugler has the Cowboys selecting Oregon Linebacker Noah Sewell, who he writes is “arguably the best off-ball linebacker in college football.” If you had to ask me in a year how I felt about this pick (barring it happened), I would think it’s a home-run selection since you’re going to lose LB Leighton Vander Esch next offseason.
I understand they did draft LSU LB Damone Clark and Oklahoma State LB Devin Harper, but Sewell would take their linebacker core to another level. Also with Clark likely starting his rookie season next year and the unknown around if Harper will be a special-teams guy or a piece in their LB core–Sewell could seamlessly slide into the rotation.
Let’s check out the last mock.
PFF
I was intrigued by PFF Lead Draft Analyst Michael Renner’s Draft the most because he has the Boys targeting a Cornerback next year. As it’s still unknown if CB Kelvin Joseph will face legal trouble, the selection did make sense since you’re going to lose possibly Joseph (if he gets convicted), and possibly CB Anthony Brown in next year’s free agency.
Just like the other two mocks, Super Bowl odds were used to determine their order, and Renner has the Cowboys selecting Alabama CB Eli Ricks at Pick 24. It was ironic that he chose Ricks in this mock because as his article was published, it was reported that Ricks got arrested.
And, if there was one franchise that loved drafting talented players who have off-the-field issues, it’s the Cowboys. Despite his issues, Ricks is a talented corner who had an 85.6 true coverage grade in his freshman season at LSU and will be looking to rebound in his junior season after he suffered a shoulder injury in his second year.
(For those unfamiliar, Ricks recently transferred to Alabama this past year.)
However, if Ricks doesn’t get playing time because of the arrest then we may not even be talking about him as a first-rounder. And, if the franchise wanted to target CB in the first round, there are better options in next year’s class such as Georgia CB Kelee Ringo and South Carolina CB Sam Smith.
Overall, these three mocks were fun to check out, but it’s too early to tell how the team will look next April. Additionally, I doubt the Cowboys front office even knows who they’re targeting in next year’s class so for any fans thinking these three prospects are players they’re solely targeting–just relax, it’s just a mock.
My advice would be to devote all of your focus to supporting the team this season and saying your prayers because the team will need all the help they can get if they want to break their Super Bowl drought.
The draft isn’t going anywhere and the odds of the first round looking the same next year are low, so just enjoy the ride and remember “This is our year.”
So what do you think Cowboy fans? Are you onboard for any of these three prospects that were mocked to the Boys?
