Last night the Dallas Cowboys had to sit and watch the first round of the NFL draft without a selection to make. Tonight the draft will officially start for them and there are some intriguing prospects still available to begin the 2nd round. Here is final Dallas Cowboys 7 round mock draft which includes some last minute amendments and a trade.
ROUND 2, PICK #58: The Dallas Cowboys select…CHAUNCEY GARDNER-JOHNSON, SAFETY, FLORIDA
(Previous selection: Juan Thornhill, S, Virginia) If one thing has become abundantly clear when evaluating the Dallas Cowboys list of 30 visits, it is that they intend to draft a safety early. At pick #58 it is impossible to determine which prospects will already be off the board. It is also difficult to figure out which safeties the Cowboys would prefer to draft. There are 3 remaining prospects who many experts anticipate could be drafted in that range that the Cowboys have shown interest in. They are Taylor Rapp of Washington, Juan Thornhill of Virginia, and Garner-Johnson. There is also a good chance that all three of them will be gone by pick #58 and the Cowboys could look to draft either DT, Trysten Hill or De Jaylon Ferguson . Jonathan Abram, who was another targeted safety was already selected in the first round. Taylor Rapp lacks the athleticism of the other two safeties but may be the best all around player and I anticipate that he will be selected ahead of the Cowboys. Juan Thornhill is not as strong of a tackler as Rapp but has excellent ball skills and he is much faster. Seeing as the Dallas Cowboys have struggled in creating turnovers, Thornhill makes a lot of sense for them if he is available at pick #58 and he was my selection in my previous mock. I am now starting to believe he too will be selected ahead of the Cowboys. Chauncey Garner-Johnson is a very talented player and he has position flexibility that is coveted by the Cowboys. I now believe that he has the best chance to make it to pick #58 out of those three prospects and I have slotted him in as the choice here. Hopefully, the Cowboys coaching staff can find a way to pair him with Xavier Woods or rotate him between safety and slot corner.
***TRADE*** DALLAS RECEIVES PICK #84 (ROUND 3) AND PICK # 214 (ROUND 6) FROM KANSAS CITY IN EXCHANGE FOR PICK #90 (ROUND 3) AND PICK #128 (ROUND 4)
ROUND 3, PICK #84: The Dallas Cowboys select…TRYSTEN HILL, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, UCF
(Previous selection: Gerald Willis, DT, Miami) Defensive tackle is definitely a position of need for the Dallas Cowboys and there should some good players still available for the Cowboys in the 2nd round. The cream of the crop, elite defensive tackles have already been drafted but there is still some talent to be had barring some character concerns. Most notably Trysten Hill of UCF and Gerald Willis of Miami could be available here. I previously slotted Willis as the Cowboys third round pick but The DallasCowboys.Com Draft Show analysts Bryan Broaddus and Dane Brugler tend to believe the Cowboys are high on Hill and low on Willis. I have concerns that Hill will not be available even at pick #58 but if he goes undrafted deep into the third round then the Cowboys will not want to pass him up twice. Hill is the only player that I feel the Cowboys might be motivated to trade up for if he gets within range. The addition of Hill would fortify the DT rotation immediately and also mitigate the potential losses of Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods next season.
ROUND 4, PICK #136: The Cowboys select…EMANUEL HALL, WIDE RECEIVER, MISSOURI
(Previous selection: Emanuel Hall, WR, Missourri) Wide receiver is another deep position in the draft and a lot of these players draft range could stretch from round 2 to day 3. I do anticipate that in the 4th round a wide receiver or a tight end that the Cowboys covet will be available. Tight end is a need for the Cowboys since Jason Witten is on a one year deal but the Cowboys already have 3 “developmental” tight ends on the roster. Furthermore, Jason Garret is also on a one year deal and another young tight end who can’t block will not help him keep his job. If the right wide receiver is available though, that could potentially help the Cowboys this year. I would love to see the Cowboys draft a slot receiver who could contribute as a return man such as Mecole Hardman of Georgia. At this point in the draft, a player with Hardman’s skill set is a desired commodity so I anticipate he will already be off the board. Potentially Emanual Hall, who has struggled with injuries in the past, will be available here. Hall is limited in many ways but he has elite speed and could function as a deep threat for the Cowboys. Additionally, adding another wide receiver could make Allen Hurnsexpendable which would save the Cowboys $5 million in salary cap space.
ROUND 5, PICK #165: The Dallas Cowboys select…DERREK THOMAS, CORNERBACK, BAYLOR
(Previous selection: Jordan Wyatt, CB, SMU) Cornerback remains a sneaky need for the Dallas Cowboys. They are very thin at the position and were fortunate to get by without any major injuries last season. The Cowboys also have to anticipate possibly replacing Byron Jones after this season. During the draft process, the Cowboys have been evaluating some cornerbacks that fit the prototypical Kris Richard mold as long and athletic. Isaiah Johnson of Houston is a talented but raw player that I would love to see the Cowboys draft but I anticipate he will be overdrafted based on physical traits. Derrek Thomas is another tall, long athletic corner, and he was a pre-draft visitor for the Dallas Cowboys. I feel confident that the Cowboys will draft a corner with the desired traits to fit their scheme at some point in the draft and Thomas could be the selection here in the late 5th.
ROUND 6, PICK #214: The Dallas Cowboys select…DEVINE OZIGBO, RUNNING BACK, NEBRASKA
(Previous selection: Devine Ozigbo, RB, Nebraska) The Dallas Cowboys relied much too heavily on Ezekiel Elliott in 2018 and their star running back was banged up the majority of the year. This year they will not make the same mistake and have stated their intentions to draft a running back at some point in 2019. Typically, running backs slide in the draft and Dallas should be able to wait until the 5th round or later to address this need. It is possible that the Cowboys will target a change of pace back to compliment Zeke but more likely they wish to have a potential 3 down back in case Elliott misses any games. Mike Weber from Ohio State could be an option or in this scenario it is Devine Ozigbo from Nebraska. Ozigbo is a punishing runner but he can also contribute as a pass catcher too. He can be used as a 3rd down back, he could play a series or two to give Zeke a breather, and he can also step in and potentially start if required.
ROUND 7, PICK #241:The Dallas Cowboys select…DRE GREENLAW, LB, ARKANSAS
(Previous selection: Dre Greenlaw, LB, Arkansas)The Dallas Cowboys have arguably the best linebacking corps in the NFL as well as one of the deepest. Linebacker is not a position of need for the Cowboys but they love to draft them and with Damien Wilson leaving and Sean Lee‘s days numbered, it still makes sense to draft one. The Cowboys have been evaluating projected late round prospects at this position which implies that they are looking for developmental guys or players that could potentially contribute on special teams. Special teams is an area the Dallas Cowboys struggled last season after losing long time coach Rich Bisaccia along with several personnel. Dre Greenlaw would provide excellent value in the 7th round and ideally he can make the roster and become a key special teams contributor. As an added bonus, I am sure Jerry Jones would love to draft player from his alma mater.
This latest version of the Dallas Cowboys 7 round mock draft is predicated on the assumption that the Cowboys are aggressively trying to win now. Bearing that in mind, many of the selections are players that could potentially contribute right away rather than developmental guys with high ceilings. For that reason, several key needs such as tight end, defensive end, and offensive tackle have not been addressed in this mock draft.
*Photo by Marianne O’Leary https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode
Prospect rankings and analysis based in part by information provided by…
Dane Brugler’s 2018 NFL Draft Guide Powered by TheAthletic.com https://theathletic.com/917951/2019/04/15/the-beast-is-here-dane-bruglers-2019-nfl-draft-guide/?redirected=1
NFL.COM2019 Draft Prospects, webpage https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/prospects
Lindy’s Sports 2018 NFL Draft Guide annual magazine, published by J. Lindy Davis. Jr. and printed by D.M.D Publications Inc. 2100 Centennial Drive, Suite 100, Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35216
8 Takeways as Cowboys national draft visitors, Dallas Day guys identified, by K.D Drummond, April 5, 2019, 3:22AM Eastern Time, COWBOYSWIRE, cowboyswire.usatoday.com https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/2019/04/05/8-takeaways-as-cowboys-national-draft-visitors-dallas-day-guys-identified/
Great evaluation of Dallas needs in this draft and possible prospects!