The 2025 Scouting Combine has wrapped, but draft season is just beginning. Months of scouting, speculation, and rumors lie ahead, so what better time to add to the mix with a Cowboys mock draft?
As more of Dallas’ scheduled visits leak, we’re gaining a clearer picture of their potential targets and positional priorities.
When you combine that with the on-field player performances of this past week, mock drafts can begin to hold more weight. Round projections are easier, and team interest is becoming increasingly public.
We all know what the needs list looks like for Dallas, with running back, wide receiver, and both the offensive and defensive lines standing out as the key areas to address.
With that in mind, let’s get drafting and put together a Cowboys mock draft that elevates the roster.
Round 1, Pick 12: Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
That’s right: the Cowboys go with a running back at 12th overall, but it’s not Ashton Jeanty.
In 2023, the NFL Draft world was enamored with Texas’s Bijan Robinson. He was a clear-cut top-ten pick and the consensus RB1 in the class.
He has turned out great for the Falcons, who took him eighth overall, but the Detroit Lions’ selection of Georgia Tech star Jahmyr Gibbs looks even better.
That is what Dallas could replicate with North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton.
In any other draft class, this 6’0, 221-lb stud with bruising power and impressive speed would be the highest-ranked running back. Jeanty’s presence has overshadowed him, but the combine showed he is the real deal.
It has even been reported that some teams have him ranked higher than Jeanty.
As the draft inches closer, so is the race between Hampton and Jeanty.
The Cowboys, picking 12th just like Detroit was in 2023, could also surprise people with their running back pick. Omarion Hampton would not only solidify the position for the offense, but bring All-Pro potential to it.
Round 2, Pick 44 – Alfred Collins, NT, Texas
If the Cowboys want to fix their run defense once and for all, drafting Texas’ Alfred Collins would be a great start.
It’s no secret that it has been a top weakness in Dallas for years; they can never seem to get the right piece that shuts down the running game. Collins’s 330-lb frame, long arms, and surprising quickness can change that.
Collins had an impressive 2024 season, totaling a career high in tackles for loss, games played, and passes defended.
He has picked up a ton of early interest from NFL teams as a result, and the Cowboys are at the forefront. They scheduled a formal meeting with the Texas native and former Longhorn at the combine.
As the potential for an Osa Odighizuwa extension grows, this pick, combined with that new contract, could show the Cowboys are serious about fixing the trenches.
Odighizuwa’s pass rush skills next to Collins’ run-stuffing ability would be dynamic for Dallas, especially when you throw Micah Parsons into the mix.
Alfred Collins could be the piece that makes Matt Eberflus’ defense elite.
Round 3, Pick 76 – Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
I have covered every NFL Draft since 2018, which means I’ve spent far too many hours watching Senior Bowls and Scouting Combines.
Still, in all that time, few prospects have caught my attention quite like Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel. With his on-field talent and shining off-field leadership, Noel has turned many heads this offseason.
He had a career-best season in 2024, then dominated the Senior Bowl, and most recently crushed the combine. As a person, he’s been doing all of the above the entire time.
Noel, 22, is touted as a natural leader and a great guy by nearly everybody. Cyclones’ Head Coach Matt Campbell has said it for months, and the media is now repeating the same story.
Not to mention, he is ridiculously fast, explosive, and can separate like nobody’s business.
This Missouri native has worked his way into the second round on my board, and with his added value as a return man, I think NFL teams may wind up there, too.
The Cowboys have a glaring need at wide receiver, and drafting Jaylin Noel to start in the slot is a perfect fit. They may also look at his Iowa State counterpart, Jayden Higgins, but I think the smaller, quicker Noel is the stronger option.