The draft ended just a few days ago, but it has me already thinking about who from the class has the best chance to jump right in and get meaningful snaps during the first game of the season and so on.
A couple of them are obvious, and we will get there in just a moment, but I have a late-round pick and an undrafted free agent that I think will make the roster and has a chance to earn a solid spot on the team.
Before I get into all of that, though, the Cowboys’ offseason volunteer workouts started this week to make sure you tune into the drama-filled events from that.
Caleb Downs & Malachi Lawrence
Well, this one was not hard. I still cannot believe that the Dallas Cowboys were able to get Caleb Downs. What a great day Thursday was. Us Cowboy fans just don’t get this type of enjoyment, ever.
1st rd: Caleb Downs, DB
1st rd: Malachi Lawrence, Edge
3rd rd: Jaishawn Barham, LB/Edge
4th rd: Drew Shelton, OT
4th rd: Devin Moore, CB
4th rd: LT Overton, Edge
5th rd: Traded pick for LB Dee Winters
7th rd: Anthony Smith, WR
Downs would start tomorrow if the season started, and he has a chance to be the next great Dallas Cowboys defender.
The 21-year-old is considered one of the smartest players in the draft class. The Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, he’ll now be paired on the back end of coordinator Christian Parker’s new-look defense with veteran Jalen Thompson, who was acquired in the offseason.
Downs is thought by many to have a legit chance at being one of the two best players in this draft.
We will talk enough about Downs, so that is where I will leave it for now, but what a great way to start last weekend’s draft.
The second one should also be a no-brainier. Malachi Lawernce is who they drafted with the 23rd overall pick after they traded back a few spots.
The first-team All-Big selection was one of the biggest risers since the NFL Combine, and it’s not hard to see why. Lawrence ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at 253 pounds and had the second-best vertical jump (40”) among all defensive linemen at the NFL Combine.
The Cowboys needed another pass rusher, and they got just that and got a guy who has been the definition of constant.
The defensive end completed his collegiate career with First-team All-Big 12 honors after recording 28 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and seven sacks in his final season.
Devin Moore
I think it’s one of the most underrated picks if he can avoid the injury bug, and that is the reason why he slid to the 4th round.
Moore played in only 30 games throughout his four-year career at Florida, but he has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy.
Last season, his first healthy year with the Gators, he recorded 35 total tackles, three passes defensed, 2.0 tackles for a loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
He has to stay on the field and have a good summer, and if he does not get hurt, I think you see him out there when the Cowboys open the season week one.
Michael Trigg
Don’t say I told you so when the season rolls around, but if Michael Trigg can get his ego under control, you will be looking at TE2 for the Dallas Cowboys when the season starts.
His 34-inch and-a-quarter arms land in the 91st percentile among tight end prospects since 2011, and his 10-and-a-half-inch hands land in the same percentile. He landed in the 99th percentile among tight end prospects since 2011 with a longer than 7-foot wingspan.
Outside of Jake Ferguson, the Cowboys might have the worst tight end room in all football. I am not even kidding either.
Trigg had 50 catches for 694 yards and six touchdowns at Baylor last season, so it is not like he is walking in as a guy who never saw the field. The issue is his maturity.
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