The Dallas Cowboys have Cowboys Nation under a cloud of misery right now with no clear escape insight. There is next to nothing going on to get excited about, unless you like all of the “doom and gloom”. In order to break through this seemingly impenetrable cloud hanging over our heads to perhaps receive the slightest glimmer of sunshine, I decided to predict who the Cowboys could select in this way too early 2020 mock draft.
There still may be three regular-season games yet to be played, but the collegiate season is nearly over and the NFL postseason picture is rounding into form. Believe it or not, that means the draft season is nearly upon us. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy the entire offseason/draft process almost as much as I enjoy the NFL season.
The offseason for the Dallas Cowboys should bring quite a few changes. The Cowboys not only have several free agents set to depart after the 2019 season, but the current coaching staff could join them as well. With that in mind, we could see an entirely different approach to free agency and the draft this year, which makes any offseason predictions that much more difficult. Try to keep all that in mind when looking over this way too early 2020 Dallas Cowboys 3-round mock draft.
For this mock draft I used Draft Network’s Mock Draft Simulator.
Round 1, Pick 21
DE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The Dallas Cowboys have a plethora of needs on the defensive side of the ball, but upgrading their defensive line should be one of their top priorities. With Robert Quinn, Michael Bennett, Maliek Collins, and Antwaun Woods set to hit free agency after the season, defensive tackle and defensive end depth for the Cowboys is extremely thin. That’s why I selected DE Yetur Gross-Matos out of Penn State.
Gross-Matos (6’5″, 265) is currently ranked 25th overall on Draft Network’s big board right now and would likely be a plug-and-play rookie if drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. He has impressive length and knows how to use it. He also has a relentless motor any defensive coordinator would fall in love with. The first-round may not have been kind to the Cowboys the last time they drafted a DE (Taco Charlton), but Gross-Matos is no Charlton.
Round 2, Pick 53
CB Jeff Gladney, TCU
I toyed with the idea of taking a cornerback with the Dallas Cowboys first-round pick because both Byron Jones and Anthony Brown could be leaving via free agency, but I believe upgrading the defensive front is of higher priority. But don’t worry, one of my favorite CBs in this draft class fell right into the Cowboys lap in the second-round in this 2020 mock draft. Let me introduce you to CB Jeff Gladney out of TCU.
Gladney (6’0″, 183) is currently ranked 67th on Draft Network’s big board, but I believe he will end up being drafted an entire round earlier. If the lasts this long though it would be an absolute steal for the Cowboys land him in the second-round. He would be in an immediate starter in Dallas as a rookie and bring something to the table they are desperately missing, a playmaker. He not only knows how to get in the hip pocket of receivers, but also how to make a play on the ball.
Round 3, Pick 85
S Brandon Jones, Texas
For years now Cowboys Nation has been begging for the Dallas Cowboys to upgrade their safety position. Well, that’s exactly what I did in the third-round by selecting Brandon Jones out at the University of Texas. I believe he could be the perfect pairing with Xavier Woods and be a pretty big upgrade over Jeff Heath at the same time.
Brandon Jones (6’0″, 205) is currently ranked 80th overall on Draft Network’s big board, but luckily was still available in this mock draft when it was the Dallas Cowboys turn to pick at 85. Jones has been a huge part of the Longhorn’s secondary pretty much since he arrived in Austin. I believe he is arguably the best tackling safety in this draft class and likely would’ve been a first-round pick if he had better ball skills. If the Cowboys can teach him to catch the ball he could be a steal.
