The 2019 NFL regular season is officially in the books. In more ways than one it was a disappointing one for the Dallas Cowboys. Not only did they squash our dreams of 2019 being a good one, but they also got next to nothing out of their rookie draft class this season. The latter of which I would like to try and remedy today by giving the Cowboys a draft Mulligan.
If you're not familiar with the term Mulligan, it's a golf term used in reference to a shot that doesn't count towards the scoreboard… basically a do over. For the fun of it, I thought we'd use a few mulligans and do a redraft of sorts for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft. Let's begin…
Round 2, Pick 58
Cowboys Pick: Trysten Hill, DT, UCF
Mulligan: Same
I know I'm going to receive a lot of flak for not using a Mulligan to draft a safety here like a lot of Cowboys Nation wanted, but I was on board with the Trysten Hill selection from the get-go. He may not have had the impact in his rookie season the Dallas Cowboys were hoping, but I still believe he has a real shot at becoming a starter in 2020.
If we're being completely honest with ourselves, Hill was put in a no-win situation from the beginning. He was drafted with the eye on the future, not an immediate starter. There is no way he was going to crack the starting lineup ahead of Maliek Collins or Antwuan Woods, so he would've been a rotational player at best. That's not even mentioning the fact nearly everyone wanted a safety here, not a defensive tackle. Regardless though, I still think he's the right pick.
Round 3, Pick 90
Cowboys Pick: Connor McGovern, OG, Penn State
Mulligan: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida (No. 105, New Orleans Saints)
The selection of Connor McGovern in the third-round by the Dallas Cowboys was an odd one. They already had their starting five all but set and also had pretty solid depth behind them. To make matters worse, McGovern did next to nothing as a rookie due to an early injury and knowing where he will fit in 2020 is just as unclear.
I personally wanted the Cowboys to draft Chauncey Gardner-Johnson here originally and that's how I used their Mulligan this time around. We all know they need to upgrade the safety position and failed to do so in the second-round. Since I stuck with Trysten Hill earlier, I decided to rectify the failure/mistake. Gardner-Johnson has had a solid rookie season with the Saints and could have been the future at the position next to Xavier Woods in Dallas.
Round 4, Pick 128
Cowboys Pick: Tony Pollard, RB, Memphis
Mulligan: Same
I was skeptical of the Dallas Cowboys decision to take Tony Pollard in the fourth-round in the 2019 NFL Draft initially based on the way he was used at Memphis, but I'm glad I was wrong. When I watched his college tape I saw mostly a “gimmick” player and didn't really know where he would fit with the Cowboys. But, I wouldn't use a Mulligan here to draft anyone else.
Tony Pollard proved to not only be an upgrade at the RB2 position behind Ezekiel Elliott, but also that he can be a versatile playmaker in the league. An argument could be made he should've been utilized even more, but that's neither here nor there now. He took advantage of every opportunity received and opened a lot of eyes doing so. He was without a doubt the right pick at the time.
Round 5, Pick 158
Cowboys Pick: Michael Jackson, CB, Miami
Mulligan: Charles Omenihu, EDGE, Texas (No. 161, Houston Texans)
The Dallas Cowboys tried to add more depth to the cornerback position when they selected Michael Jackson out of Miami initially. At 6'1″, 210, he fit the preferred parameters Kris Richard prefers in his defensive backs, but that's about it. He failed to make the final roster out of training camp and later was poached off the practice squad by the Detroit Lions. This mistake/failure led me to use a Mulligan on Charles Omenihu out of Texas.
Omenihu at one point was considered a fringe first-round player in the 2019 NFL Draft, but unfortunately saw his draft stock fall and eventually landed with Houston Texans in the fifth-round. He had a pretty solid rookie season with the Texans as a rotational player and could have done the same with the Cowboys. He might've even done enough to earn a starting role in 2020 opposite DeMarcus Lawrence.
Round 5, Pick 165
Cowboys Pick: Joe Jackson, EDGE, Miami
Mulligan: David Edwards, OL, Wisconsin (No. 169, Los Angeles Rams)
After taking an EDGE player with the first of the Dallas Cowboys two fifth-round draft picks I didn't think it necessary to double down. Instead, I decided to make up for passing up on Connor McGovern earlier in the draft and replace him with David Edwards.
Edwards was an offensive tackle coming out of college, but wasn't going to crack the starting lineup with the Rams with Andrew Whitworth (LT) and Rob Havenstein (RT) locked in as their bookends. But thanks to cross training in the offseason he found his home at LG after Joe Noteboom went down with a season-ending injury. Edwards' versatility to play across the OL would have made him a valuable chess piece with the Cowboys.
Round 6, Pick 213
Cowboys Pick: Donovan Wilson, S, Texas A&M
Mulligan: Same
I personally didn't see any reason the Dallas Cowboys wouldn't redraft Donovan Wilson in the sixth-round. He showed flashes in preseason he can be a starting caliber player in the NFL, which is surprising considering he didn't see much playing time as a rookie. Instead, they chose to stick with Jeff Heath, who was injured quite a bit of the year, and use Darian Thompson as I fill in. Regardless though, even after taking Chauncey Gardner-Johnson earlier, safety is still a need due to the lack of depth at the position heading into next year. With Gardner-Johnson, Wilson, and Xavier Woods, the Cowboys would've had a young, talented group of safeties heading into 2020.
Round 7, Pick 218
Cowboys Pick: Mike Weber, RB, Ohio State
Mulligan: Jimmy Moreland, CB, James Madison (No. 227, Washington Redskins)
The Dallas Cowboys initially tried to add depth at the cornerback position with their original selection of Michael Jackson out of Miami in the fifth-round. Sadly, he ended up not being good enough to make the 2019 active roster. He found his way onto the practice squad though, but was later poached by the Detroit Lions. To make up for that loss/failure, I selected CB Jimmy Moreland.
Not only would Jimmy Moreland be an upgrade over Michael Jackson, but it would also keep the Washington Redskins from getting their hands on him. He ended up having a solid rookie season in Washington, accumulating 41 tackles in five starts so far. He doesn't fit the size mold Kris Richard prefers at only 5'11”, 182, but neither did Jourdan Lewis and look what happened when he finally made his way to the field.
Round 7, Pick 241
Cowboys Pick: Jalen Jelks, EDGE, Oregon
Mulligan: Olabisi Johnson, WR, Colorado State (No. 247, Minnesota Vikings)
Like Joe Jackson, Jalen Jelks showed flashes in the offseason of becoming a solid EDGE player in the NFL, but an unfortunate injury landed him on injured reserve. After using one of the Dallas Cowboys mulligans on Charles Omenihu, I decided to go a different direction here once again and selected Olabisi Johnson out of Colorado State to reunite him with his former teammate, Michael Gallup.
Johnson ended up having a pretty good rookie season with the Minnesota Vikings. He received an opportunity to show what he can do when Adam Thielen missed some time due to an injury and he ended up playing pretty well. He's caught 31 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns in six starts as a fill in with Minnesota this year. With the Cowboys he would've provided some much-needed depth heading into 2020 and quite possibly been able to take over for Randall Cobb.
