With their season wrapped up, the Dallas Cowboys can now exert their full energy and attention toward the offseason. As we all know, two things will make or break their 2023-2024 season.
The NFL Draft and their free-agency approach.
In past years, we have seen the front office become more active in the draft, as there have been either trades, head-scratching selections, and of course, splashy picks that make you say, “That selection is such a Cowboys pick.”
So, to stay on draft content, I wanted to rank the Cowboys’ biggest needs heading into this year’s NFL Draft. While I’m on the boat of always going for the best player available – I wanted to sway away from that approach for this piece.
Without further do, check them out below.
3. Offensive Line
Starting with the offensive line, this position can be elevated toward their top priority if Tyron Smith departs or if they lose linemen in free agency (Connor McGovern and Terrence Steele).
While it’s not a sexy pick for fans, having a stable offensive line is one of the keys to having success in the league. Some guys fans can keep an eye on include Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, and North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch.
Investing in the offensive line is crucial for the franchise’s future because they eventually have to prepare when Smith and Zack Martin retire from the game.
2. Wide Receiver
I will make this short and sweet, but can we get Wide Receiver CeeDee Lamb some help?
After fielding one of the best-receiving groups two seasons ago, the team dropped off significantly. We all saw it with our own eyes and knew the ball was going to either Lamb or TE Dalton Schultz – when he was available.
Yes, there were some flashes from wideouts Noah Brown and T.Y. Hilton. But it wasn’t enough.
Now entering this offseason, the team can elect to upgrade their group through free agency, the draft, or both. (Please do both, Jerry.)
Some names people have linked to the team in mock drafts include Tennesse’s Jalin Hyatt, Boston College’s Zay Flowers, North Carolina’s Josh Downs, Houston’s Nathaniel Dell, and Michigan State’s Jayden Reed.
Personally, my guy is Downs. A speedster who can beat coverage and get in and out of his breaks is my type of guy. Enjoy a clip of him below.
https://twitter.com/danie1adams/status/1620215350246936576
1. Cornerback
Ah, the good ole’ narrative that the Cowboys need help in the backend of their defense. I honestly couldn’t tell you when the last time this wasn’t a discussion that we were having during draft season.
But here we are again.
Entering this offseason, the franchise can arguably say they only have one defensive back healthy that they can trust. See, that’s the keyword. “Healthy.” Before cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown suffered season-ending injuries, they weren’t doing too bad, as they held their own alongside Cornerback Trevon Diggs.
Then injuries piled up, rookie cornerback Da’Ron Bland was thrown into a starting position, and the team had a carousel of defensive backs they had to cycle through to find an answer in the backend.
While Bland played pretty solid, it will be interesting to watch if he holds onto that starting gig or if the team elects to give it back to Brown or Lewis.
But to save the team some trouble in making difficult decisions and to improve their overall depth, we’re electing with them prioritizing a cornerback in this year’s draft. A guy like Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., Georgia’s Keele Ringo, or Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez would instantly come in and make an impact.
Having the backend covered would allow the defensive line to get home on the opposing quarterback, and having a group filled with a Day 1 Rookie starting cornerback, Trevon Diggs, Bland, and either Brown or Lewis is way more ideal for their future.
Brown is a free agent!! So unless he resigns for cheap, I doubt he’ll be playing for us at all!! And then Jourdan Lewis will be in his last year of his contract, and the way Bland played in the slot, I doubt Lewis will be back either!! And Joseph and Wright aren’t even worth messing with anymore!! So we definitely need a corner bad!! So we should try to get one in the 1st round, and if we do it’ll be Diggs on one side, a rookie corner on the other side and Bland in the slot!! And as far as receivers go, Downs does look like he’ll be a good receiver, but he’d be strictly in the slot since he’s so small!! I think we’d be better off going after a receiver that can play inside and outside!! I like Boutte out of LSU!! Some people think he’ll be a slot receiver too, but I think he can play inside and outside!! I’d also be fine with Flowers and Hyatt, but I think they’ll be gone before we pick in the 1st round, and I’d prefer us to get a corner in the 1st round if it’s possible anyways!! But if I’m right about those receivers being gone before we pick, then we’d have to go with a different position anyways, cause there’s not really any other receivers worth taking in the 1st round, other than the one or two that’ll go before Flowers and Hyatt!! So hopefully one of the better corners falls to us at 26!! And for some reason, nobody is talking about Eli Ricks going in the 1st round anymore!! So I think we could get him at 26!! If he does happen to fall like everybody else seems to think that is!! And as far as offensive linemen goes, I think we’ll be able to get one in the 3rd round this year!! There’s a lot of good one’s that are projected to go late 2nd round and late 3rd round!! One I’ve seen that I like is Andrew Voorhees!! He keeps falling more and more too for some reason, but I think we’d get a steal if we can get him in the 3rd round!! He mite not fall that far like most people think, but if he does, I think we should run to turn in the card with his name on it!! Ok, I’ll quit rambling now…. Until next time!!
First Mock
26: R1 P26 RB Bijan Robinson – Texas
58: R2 P27 CB Emmanuel Forbes – Mississippi State
90: R3 P27 WR Nathaniel Dell – Houston
129: R4 P27 G Jordan McFadden – Clemson
163: R5 P27 QB Max Duggan – TCU
170: R5 P34 DL Zacch Pickens – South Carolina
176: R5 P40 WR Jonathan Mingo – Ole Miss
212: R6 P35 EDGE YaYa Diaby – Louisville
246: R7 P27 LB Charlie Thomas – Georgia Tech
First off… we’re still built to win NOW…Got lucky getting our DC back for one more season….
We need a RB… 1 in the draft and another thru FA… If we go RB in the draft early it’s either Bijon Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs.. Bijon is a workhorse type while Gibbs gives you way more pass catching ability… With Pollard’s injury, which takes time to come back from, Gibbs might be our guy over Bijon… If we go Bijon, Zeke is probably out (love love love you Zeke, but it’s a wrap.. even though you’re still one of the best blocking RBs in the league.. need more production when you’re carrying the rock… clearly it’s a wrap from that perspective… You’re Dallas Cowboy for life… hopefully you decide to hang it up and stay with the organization in another capacity… and get groomed to lead our RBs.. get your ring that way at this point )… and we go vet RB that catches the football out of the backfield… Can’t go into next season with what we have at RB currently… no way… and no under the radar late rounders please..
and yes, we do need another WR… we were horrible, other than Cee Dee (and Pollard and Schulz making up for what the rest of the WR couldn’t do)… Looks like a weak draft class this year at that position, but, I’d go Cedric Tillman.. from a blood lines standpoint and the nfl scouts view him as “highly competitive”.. we need that… the only dog/horse we had in the race consistently was CeeDee… Simi Fehoko has been a major dissapointment IMO… his size and speed you’d think he’d take a spot… he didn’t… It’s a wrap… (shout out to Turpin… realistically he’s our return man.. and that’s it, which fits perfectly.. too slight to depend on in other situations).. I say we also go and get a vet (time for Jerry and the kids to spend some doe… Mike Evans would be HUGE for us… just sayin).. another draft option at WR I hope we consider (seriously) is Zay Flowers out of Boston College… He’s a smaller WR, but he’s a Kevin Williams/Kelvin Martin type.. but better… tons of wiggle… a serious YAC guy… something that today’s NFL offense use a ton… and he can beat you down field too… plain and simple, he has the ability to make plays… something our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th string WRs had trouble with in big spots…
Now, another need is CB… If he slides a bit it’s Joey Porter Jr all day long.. Another kid I like is Deonte Banks out of Maryland… we need to go big physical CB… no undersized kid that tests well at the combine..
LB (another need for us in the draft): we may go late day 2 or just day 3 here… a good place to get a FA stud… Bobby Wagner comes to mind…
If we go DE, a guy I hope may slide to us (probably not though) is Georgia Tech’s Keion White… stash and develop him…other option here: Lukas Van Ness
Scoop up a QB too: Give Max Dugan a shot… He’s a leader