After taking the first couple of hours off of the Saturday session of the draft, the Dallas Cowboys will get back to work in the fifth round.
Dallas will have two draft picks in this round to work with. At one point, they had four picks in the fifth round.
They shipped off one to Buffalo for a back-up cornerback who might develop into a quality starter.
The other went to New England to upgrade the Cowboys’ backup quarterback situation.
Both trades filled needs with solid players, so Dallas has already had a successful round before the draft even begins. But, can they build on that with two more solid picks?
In the past few days, I’ve shared my mock draft of the first three rounds.
Yesterday, since the Cowboys have no pick in the fourth round for the second-straight year, I shared my thoughts on the Sporting News’ mock of the fourth round.
Today’s featured mock is from DraftCountdown.com. Here’s their entire seven-round mock.
Below are the 37 picks of the fifth round as they see it with my comments, especially relating to the Cowboys’ two picks.
You’ll notice some names from yesterday’s fourth round from the Sporting News.
That’s the beauty of these things. The deeper you go into each of them, the more scrambled together the names get among the later rounds.
The Fifth Round Breakdown
- Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland)
Garrett Dellinger, OL, LSU
Dellinger could prove to be a solid pick for the Vikings here.
- Carolina Panthers (from NY Giants)
Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
Martinez went in the fourth round in the Sporting News mock. I don’t see an already loaded Panthers’ backfield adding another running back,
- Tennessee Titans
Pat Bryant, WR, Illinois
You get yourself a new quarterback in the first round, you get yourself some new targets for him to throw to.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio State
It makes sense for the Jaguars to shore up their weakest unit.
- Las Vegas Raiders
Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
Geno Smith would appreciate having a few seconds to throw the ball before being clocked by the pass rush. Belton might buy him an extra second or two in the pocket.
- New England Patriots
Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA
I haven’t watched a single second of game-action involving UT-San Antonio. This could be a great pick or is could be a bad one.
I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
- New York Jets
Tonka Hemingway, DL, South Carolina
Ask no for whom the draft bell tolls…
Hey, it’s the fifth round. Why so serious?
- Carolina Panthers
Joshua Simon, TE, South Carolina
A sudden run on the Gamecocks market. Note to Jerry Jones, the fifth round is when you start taking linebackers.
The fourth round at the very earliest.
- San Francisco 49ers (from New Orleans)
Zy Alexander, CB, LSU
I’ll be surprised if Alexander is still on the board here. But if he is, this is a great pick by the 49ers.
- Chicago Bears
Jalin Conyers, TE, Texas Tech
A 21st Century Mike Ditka? Yes, please, if you are a Bears fan.
Hey, We Remember You Guys!
- Dallas Cowboys
Jordan Hancock, CB, Ohio State
The Cowboys do need to shore up the defensive backfield. Is Hancock the guy?
Maybe.
But if Alexander somehow falls to Dallas here, they better take the Tiger over the Buckeye.
- Miami Dolphins
Seth McLaughlin, OL, Ohio State
And now the Buckeyes are the hot commodity in this round. But a smart move by Miami to shore up their offensive line.
- Indianapolis Colts
Maxen Hook, S, Toledo
Until the Colts get their quarterback situation settled, their defense is going to have to keep them in games. Hook will help in their backfield.
- Arizona Cardinals
Fadil Diggs, EDGE, Syracuse
As far as I can tell, he’s not related to the Diggs brothers already in the NFL. But he just might make a name for himself in the desert.
- Cincinnati Bengals
Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame
Kiser should see some playing time for the Bengals and may even develop into a starter sooner rather than later.
- New York Giants (from Seattle)
C.J. West, DL, Indiana
Probably a project player. But since he’ll land on the Giants, per this mock, he’ll probably have to start by mid-season.
- Miami Dolphins (from Denver)
Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon
Miami needs help on both sides of the ball. This move will fill a need.
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
Horton had better hope the Steelers figure out their quarterback room immediately after the draft ends.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Xavier Restrepo, WR, Miami (FL)
Baker Mayfield might have to be tied down to the ground if this pick happens.
- Los Angeles Chargers
Ty Hamilton, DL, Ohio State
Is this the eventual replacement for Joey Bosa? Jim Harbaugh sure hopes so.
- Green Bay Packers
Chris Paul, LB, Mississippi
Green Bay’s defense was their Achilles heel last year. Paul should contribute to improving that unit in 2025.
- San Francisco 49ers (from Minnesota)
Tyler Batty, EDGE, BYU
San Francisco may be looking at the heir apparent to Nick Bosa with this pick.
Round Takes An Eagles Turn
- Philadelphia Eagles (from Houston)
Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
Hmmm, the Evil Empire of professional football recruits from the Evil Empire of College Football.
- New York Jets (from LA Rams)
Jaylin Lane, WR, Virginia Tech
Probably a return man or special teams’ player with a few plays on offense sprinkled in.
- Carolina Panthers (from Baltimore)
Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
The Panthers keep building up the defense. They’ll need it if they want to contend for the NFC South.
- Philadelphia Eagles (from Detroit)
Jake Briningstool, TE, Clemson
These guys again? Man, it’s a good thing I’ll be at an event on Saturday.
My TV wouldn’t survive this stretch. As for the pick itself?
Not impressed, so I hope they pull the trigger on it.
- Philadelphia Eagles (from Washington)
AJ Cornelius, OT, Oregon
Actually, this is not a bad get this deep into the draft for the Eagles.
- Houston Texans (from Buffalo)
Tyler Shough, QB, Louisville
Could be a nice backup for C.J. Stroud.
- Tennessee Titans (from Kansas City)
BJ Adams, CB, UCF
I’m thinking more of a special teamer than a starter, but he has the potential to eventually get there with some work.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky
Four picks in the last eight? At what point do we call hoarding on Philadelphia?
I saw one game by the Hilltoppers and I don’t recall Stout making an impression.
- Buffalo Bills
Smael Mondon, LB, Georgia
Probably a backup for Buffalo, but if he does the work, he could move into a starting slot.
Coulda Been, Will Be A Cowboy
- Buffalo Bills (from Dallas)
Logan Brown, OT, Kansas
Brown could have been a possible replacement in Dallas for Terence Steele had this pick not been traded.
Instead, the next right tackle for the Dallas Cowboys will be…
- Dallas Cowboys
Caleb Rogers, OT, Texas Tech
I like this pick a lot. Rogers should put pressure on the Cowboys to start him over Steele as soon as training camp opens.
- Seattle Seahawks
Arian Smith, WR, Georgia
It will be interesting to see where Smith will fit in up in Seattle.
- Buffalo Bills
Connor Colby, OL, Iowa
The Bills are shoring up their offensive line. Making Josh Allen even more of a threat is something the AFC didn’t want to see happen.
Might Have Been A Cowboy
- New England Patriots (from Dallas)
Raheim Sanders, RB, South Carolina
The Cowboys got their long-term back-up, and possible new starting quarterback in a couple of years, out of this pick already. The Patriots get a solid backup running back.
A win-win for both teams.
- Seattle Seahawks
Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia
I doubt Etienne is sitting here to be honest. The Jaguars should grab him in the fourth round.
If they don’t, someone else higher up in this round certainly will.
- Baltimore Ravens
Marcus Yarns, RB, Delaware
This is another pick I don’t see happening. Unless there’s something up with Derrick Henry, the Ravens don’t need another running back.