One way or the other, the Dallas Cowboys should attend to an offensive need in the first round.
Should they hold true to that, they can go running back or wide receiver, whichever one they don’t pick in the first round, in the second round.
Or, they could go with a defensive player in this round instead. Which is what I expect they’ll do.
But, who will that player be? And how will the other 31 picks play out?
Let’s find out in my mock draft of the 2025 NFL Draft’s second round:
The First 11 Picks
- Cleveland Browns
Tyleik Williams, DT, Ohio State (6-2, 334 pounds)
The Browns will continue to shore up their defense after taking the hybrid player in the first round in Travis Hunter.
- New York Giants
Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State (6-5, 317 pounds)
The Giants’ recent additions at quarterback necessitate shoring up their offensive line at all costs. Keeping Russell Wilson and/or Jameis Winston on their feet is priority number one in the Big Apple.
- Tennessee Titans
Matthew Golden, WR, Texas (6-0, 195 pounds)
The Titans get their quarterback in the first round. They have a solid possession receiver in Calvin Ridley. Now they get a speedster that can stretch the field and open space for Cam Ward to operate with.
- Jacksonville Jaguars
Donovan Jackson, G, Ohio State (6-4, 320 pounds)
The Jaguars continue to shore up their own offensive line. Trevor Lawrence’s career might have been extended a few years with this pick.
- Las Vegas Raiders
Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State (6-4, 215 pounds)
The Raiders lost Davante Adams and still really haven’t replaced Henry Ruggs since his drunk driving incident that killed a woman and her dog back in 2021. Higgins could be that missing piece in their offense along with Jeanty.
- New England Patriots
Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon (6-3, 310 pounds)
The Patriots seem to be satisfied with their offensive setup for now. Plugging Harmon into the middle of the line will help their run defense immensely.
- Chicago Bears
Shavon Revel Jr., CB, East Carolina (6-2, 193 pounds)
Revel is recovering a torn ACL. But that injury isn’t severe enough to downgrade his potential. But he has the size and speed to be an impact player in the NFL for a long time.
- New Orleans Saints
Jack Bech, WR, TCU (6-2, 215 pounds)
Bech should benefit from running through defenses contending with Chris Olave, Brandin Cooks and Rashid Shaheed. Derek Carr might be poised for a comeback year in New Orleans.
- Chicago Bears
J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State (6-4, 270 pounds)
The Bears keep rebuilding their defense. With this pick, the Lions and Vikings had better be looking over their shoulders.
- New York Jets
Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo (6-4, 304 pounds)
The Jets keep the defensive run going and take a huge step toward stopping their opponent’s run game.
- San Francisco 49ers
T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina (6-4, 290 pounds)
The 49ers reward Robert Saleh with a solid player up the middle for his defense. He’ll need all the help he can get to help the 49ers retool without sliding too far down the NFC West standings.
Dallas Plays It Safe
- Dallas Cowboys
Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame (6-0, 203 pounds)
If Dallas doesn’t land Ashton Jeanty in the first round and take care of their need at receiver, then going for Watts here is a smart play. It means they’ll need to go for a running back in the next round, but Watts shores up the defensive backfield nicely.
- Indianapolis Colts
Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky (5-11, 183 pounds)
The Colts could use a little help in the defensive backfield. Hairston can provide them that.
- Atlanta Falcons
Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas (6-7, 281 pounds)
Atlanta’s defense needs a drive-killer. Jackson is the type of player that can disrupt any offense.
- Arizona Cardinals
Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina (6-2, 245 pounds)
Knight is a defensive playmaker. That’s something the Cardinals need more of and look for Knight to head for the desert on the Friday night of the draft.
- Miami Dolphins
Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon (6-5, 311 pounds)
Miami has a solid quarterback. But he has a scary concussion history that has many calling for him to retire now. Getting Conerly will help protect their star QB and maybe extend his career a few years.
- Cincinnati Bengals
Shemar Turner, DT, Texas A&M (6-4, 300 pounds)
The Bengals offense is set. Their defense? Not so much. Turner is a big step toward putting the Bengals back in the playoffs in 2025.
- Seattle Seahawks
Carson Schwesinger, LB, UCLA (6-2, 225 pounds)
It’s beginning to look like a Legion of Boom Redux in Seattle. Schwesinger can certainly bring the boom.
- Denver Broncos
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State (6-0, 221 pounds)
Judkins is a power back that can catch the ball out of the backfield. Seems like Sean Payton has found his Alvin Kamara 2.0.
- Seattle Seahawks
Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford (6-2, 206 pounds)
The Seahawks let DK Metcalf go in free agency. They fill the opening on the roster with a solid receiver.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Princely Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss (6-5, 255 pounds)
The Buccaneers go shopping for a edge rusher to help contain a crop of young, agile quarterbacks in their division.
- Green Bay Packers
Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss (6-1, 190 pounds)
Amos is a physical corner who can help against the run and their division still loves to run the ball.
- Los Angeles Chargers
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami (6-4, 245 pounds)
Would Jim Harbaugh go shopping for a tight end for Justin Herbert? Of course he would. Hopefully the Cowboys curse of the second round TE doesn’t crop up in Los Angeles.
Bills Take The Next Step
- Buffalo Bills
Omarr Norman-Lott, DT, Tennessee (6-2, 291 pounds)
The Bills seem set on offense. So they’ll continue to build up their defensive line in the second round in their quest to get past both Baltimore and Kansas City.
- Carolina Panthers
Jared Ivey, EDGE, Ole Miss (6-6, 280 pounds)
The Panthers pass rush was on the field. But they were hardly effective. Ivey gives this unit a big boost.
- Houston Texans
Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame (6-0, 190 pounds)
The Texans get some additional help in the defensive backfield as they look to take the next step.
- Baltimore Ravens
Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State (6-5, 260 pounds)
The Ravens, like many teams, have the weapons they need on offense. They just need one more piece to get back to the Super Bowl.
- Detroit Lions
Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon (6-4, 279 pounds)
Oh goody. Now teams have to worry about both ends of the defensive line blowing up their offensive plays.
The Final Four
- Washington Commanders
Aireontae Ersery, OT, Texas (6-6, 331 pounds)
The Commanders get a monster to secure the other side of the line across from Laremy Tunsil. Washington is making a huge push for the NFC East and beyond.
- Buffalo Bills
Azareye’h Thomas, CB, Florida State (6-1, 197 pounds)
Buffalo has targeted Thomas and I see no reason why he won’t be there when they go on the clock in this round.
- Kansas City Chiefs
Alfred Collins, DT, Texas (6-5, 320 pounds)
The Chiefs defense let them down last year. Collins can help build this unit back up for another Super Bowl run.
- Philadelphia Eagles
Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan (6-1, 249 pounds)
This makes sense for the Eagles. The Cowboys’ fan in me hopes the Cowboys’ first-round Michigan defensive lineman curse carries over into an Eagles’ second-round Michigan defensive lineman curse.