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The NFL Draft is but two weeks and change away but it’s still hard to predict what will happen even if we’ve seen mock draft after mock draft throughout this long process. Lately, I’ve been consumed with determining where the sweet spots are in this year’s draft as it pertains to the positions of need for the Cowboys.
In this day and age of football, teams will look for the “best available at a position of interest” more often than not. That doesn’t mean that if a really good player falls in the Cowboys lap that they won’t take them. For instance, if say cornerback Denzel Ward gets pushed down because of teams going after quarterbacks, it would be hard to see Dallas pass even if they’re somewhat satisfied with their room right now.
So, here’s looking at the positions of need for the Cowboys in no particular order: offensive guard, defensive tackle, safety, linebacker, wide receiver, and even running back. Based off NFL Draft Scout’s prospect rankings, where Dane Brugler publishes his works, where are the perceived best spots for the Cowboys to attack these needs?
We decided to make charts for each position of guys that could be of interest to the Dallas Cowboys, (note: prospects with a star denote Pre-Draft, private workouts, or Dallas Day visits):
Offensive Guard
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Quenton Nelson | OG, Notre Dame | 1 |
| 18 | *James Daniels | C, Iowa | 1 |
| 23 | *Will Hernandez | OG, Texas-El Paso | 1 |
| 24 | *Connor Williams | OT, Texas | 1 |
| 27 | Isaiah Wynn | OG, Georgia | 1 |
| 42 | Billy Price | C, Ohio State | 2 |
| 56 | Austin Corbett | OG, Nevada | 2 |
| 84 | Braden Smith | OG, Auburn | 2-3 |
| 108 | Wyatt Teller | OG, Virginia Tech | 3-4 |
| 134 | Sean Welsh | OG, Iowa | 4 |
| 147 | Skyler Phillips | OG, Idaho State | 4-5 |
| 165 | Taylor Hearn | OG, Clemson | 5 |
| 172 | *Cole Madison | OG, Washington State | 5 |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at LG: First Round
The Cowboys will or have completed visits with Will Hernandez, Connor Williams, and James Daniels. Dallas will love the position flex associated with Williams and Daniels but they aren’t the only guys that should be considered at 19. Those calling for a guard early have a substantial point because outside of Quenton Nelson, they will likely have their pick of some day one starters.
Personally, the starting potential for these prospects drops off significantly after Austin Corbett. Taking a guard at 19 may not be the most exciting pick but it’s probably one of the more valuable options. The Cowboys would be taking a guy that is a plug-and-play starter at a weaker position, at a decent price for 4-5 years.
Wide Receiver
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | *Calvin Ridley | WR, Alabama | 1 |
| 29 | *DJ Moore | WR, Maryland | 1-2 |
| 32 | *Christian Kirk | WR, Texas AM | 1-2 |
| 38 | DJ Chark | WR, LSU | 1-2 |
| 53 | *Courtland Sutton | WR, Southern Methodist | 2 |
| 60 | Anthony Miller | WR, Memphis | 2 |
| 64 | Equanimeous St. Brown | WR, Notre Dame | 2 |
| 70 | *James Washington | WR, Oklahoma State | 2-3 |
| 80 | Dante Pettis | WR, Washington | 2-3 |
| 88 | Deon Cain | WR, Clemson | 3 |
| 95 | Michael Gallup | WR, Colorado State | 3 |
| 99 | DaeSean Hamilton | WR, Penn State | 3 |
| 106 | *TreQuan Smith | WR, Central Florida | 3-4 |
| 136 | *Antonio Callaway | WR, Florida | 4 |
| 151 | Deontay Burnett | WR, Southern California | 4-5 |
| 161 | *Trey Quinn | WR, Southern Methodist | 5 |
| 196 | *Daurice Fountain | WR, Northern Iowa | 5-6 |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at WR: Second Round
Even though the Cowboys have addressed this position in free agency, it’s not going to stop them from looking early for a receiver and the second round is a prime spot. Nine receivers in the chart above have either been a pre-draft visit, Dallas day prospect, or took part in a private workout with the Cowboys. They are not done at receiver and quite a few great options that can immediately help on offense will be there on day two. There are some decent options in the third or fourth round but the Cowboys would be wise to get involved early if a run at the position starts.
Defensive Tackle
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | *Vita Vea | DT, Washington | 1 |
| 14 | *DaRon Payne | DT, Alabama | 1 |
| 25 | *Taven Bryan | DT, Florida | 1 |
| 47 | Harrison Phillips | DT, Stanford | 2 |
| 55 | Nathan Shepherd | DT, Fort Hays State | 2 |
| 79 | Trenton Thompson | DT, Georgia | 2-3 |
| 91 | Tim Settle | DT, Virginia Tech | 3 |
| 98 | Deadrin Senat | DT, South Florida | 3 |
| 100 | Derrick Nnadi | DT, Florida State | 3 |
| 139 | Folorunso Fatukasi | DT, Connecticut | 4-5 |
| 175 | Justin Jones | DT, North Carolina State | 5-6 |
| 199 | Poona Ford | DT, Texas | 6 |
| 226 | P. J. Hall | DT, Sam Houston State | 6-7 |
| 265 | Lowell Lotulelei | DT, Utah | 7-FA |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at DT: Third Round
Keep in mind, these are just projections of guys that Dallas could be interested in but it’s telling that the guys that they have visited with are all first-round guys. They had a private workout with Nathan Shepherd too, who is projected in the second. This tackle class is seemingly pretty deep where Brugler has stated someone like Poona Ford in the sixth round, has a good shot at starting with a team early.
The spot for the Cowboys is in that third round though where there are four guys in their range. These four guys are all good fits at the one but they do have pass rush ability which is a preference for the Cowboys. Tim Settle and Deadrin Senat are two guys to keep an eye on as they were very productive catalysts in their respective college defenses.
Linebacker
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | *Tremaine Edmunds | OLB, Virginia Tech | 1 |
| 12 | Roquan Smith | ILB, Georgia | 1 |
| 22 | *Leighton Vander Esch | OLB, Boise State | 1 |
| 36 | Rashaan Evans | OLB, Alabama | 1-2 |
| 54 | Uchenna Nwosu | OLB, Southern California | 2 |
| 62 | *Malik Jefferson | ILB, Texas | 2 |
| 74 | Micah Kiser | ILB, Virginia | 2-3 |
| 75 | Jerome Baker | OLB, Ohio State | 2-3 |
| 85 | Shaquem Griffin | OLB, Central Florida | 3 |
| 93 | Josey Jewell | ILB, Iowa | 3 |
| 115 | *Fred Warner | OLB, Brigham Young | 3-4 |
| 143 | Oren Burks | OLB, Vanderbilt | 4-5 |
| 156 | Azeem Victor | ILB, Washington | 5 |
| 169 | *Darius Leonard | OLB, South Carolina State | 5 |
| 177 | Marquis Haynes | OLB, Mississippi | 5-6 |
| 178 | Jack Cichy | ILB, Wisconsin | 5-6 |
| 189 | Hercules Mataafa | OLB, Washington State | 5-6 |
| 197 | Tegray Scales | ILB, Indiana | 5-6 |
| 216 | Kenny Young | ILB, UCLA | 6 |
| 221 | Mike McCray | OLB, Michigan | 6-7 |
| 229 | Davin Bellamy | OLB, Georgia | 6-7 |
| 241 | Nick DeLuca | ILB, North Dakota State | 7 |
| 242 | Garret Dooley | OLB, Wisconsin | 7 |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at LB: Day Three but it’s complicated
We hit our first snag here as the Cowboys look for linebacker help. If they’re looking for a starting MIKE linebacker to move Jaylon Smith to SAM, then they should consider taking one at 19. If the Cowboys are just looking for a backup option with upside that plays special teams then they should wait until Day 3. The drop-off begins after Fred Warner for potential immediate impact in one way or another. Guys like Darius Leonard and Jack Cichy were productive starters but Leonard’s competition level is questionable and Cichy couldn’t stay healthy.
Linebacker will be a position the Cowboys weigh against a few others in the early rounds. Much like the Cowboys did with Taco Charlton last year, they could go linebacker at 19 if they believe that their later options are a substantial drop in talent.
Safety
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Derwin James | SS, Florida State | 1 |
| 33 | Ronnie Harrison | SS, Alabama | 1-2 |
| 59 | Justin Reid | FS, Stanford | 2 |
| 67 | Marcus Allen | FS, Penn State | 2-3 |
| 81 | Rashaan Gaulden | FS, Tennessee | 2-3 |
| 96 | *Terrell Edmunds | SS, Virginia Tech | 3 |
| 104 | Jessie Bates III | FS, Wake Forest | 3-4 |
| 125 | Jordan Whitehead | FS, Pittsburgh | 4 |
| 131 | *Kyzir White | SS, West Virginia | 4 |
| 140 | Godwin Igwebuike | FS, Northwestern | 4-5 |
| 149 | *DeShon Elliott | SS, Texas | 4-5 |
| -- | *Tarvarious Moore | FS, Southern Miss | 4-5 |
| 166 | Quin Blanding | FS, Virginia | 5 |
| 173 | Troy Apke | SS, Penn State | 5 |
| 200 | Trayvon Henderson | SS, Hawaii | 6 |
| 218 | Siran Neal | SS, Jacksonville State | 6 |
| 322 | Tracy Walker | SS, La-Lafayette | 7-FA |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at S: Fourth Round
First, we haven’t determined what type of safety help the Cowboys are even looking for. Is it a box safety or center fielder or both? The fact that the Cowboys haven’t pounced on any solid free agent safeties suggests that they really like their own in Xavier Woods, Jeff Heath, and Kavon Frazier. Dallas is unlikely to sniff a shot at playmaker Derwin James which leads you to the fourth round. A new name in Tarvarious Moore is interesting as he’s become BTB’s new pet cat at free safety and could be a steal in the fourth round.
The top two names in this class are far above everyone that comes after them but those next ten guys are not as far from each other in skill set. It would be a really wise move to go with a guy like Moore, who has the tape that matches the athleticism.
Running Back
| DS Rank | Name | School | Proj. Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | *Nyheim Hines | RB, North Carolina State | 3 |
| 101 | Jaylen Samuels | RB, North Carolina State | 3-4 |
| 107 | John Kelly | RB, Tennessee | 3-4 |
| 119 | Royce Freeman | RB, Oregon | 4 |
| 127 | Mark Walton | RB, Miami (FL) | 4 |
| 155 | Josh Adams | RB, Notre Dame | 4-5 |
| 160 | Bo Scarbrough | RB, Alabama | 5 |
| 168 | Kalen Ballage | RB, Arizona State | 5 |
| 174 | Akrum Wadley | RB, Iowa | 5 |
| 230 | *Ito Smith | RB, Southern Miss | 6-7 |
| 257 | Phillip Lindsay | RB, Colorado | 7-FA |
| 306 | *Chris Warren III | RB, Texas | 7-FA |
Sweet Spot for Cowboys at RB: Fifth Round
Running back is a need in terms of filling out the roster but it’s not something the Cowboys would spend a high pick on. This is a story that begins and ends with Nyheim Hines, who the Cowboys really like a lot. Hines is the vision they always wanted to come true with Lance Dunbar but he couldn’t stay healthy. Hines is much more than just a change of pace back, he’s an explosive player for an offense looking to spice some things up. Hines has the jets with his 4.38 speed and is a quality receiving threat despite his small stature.
Running back is going to be somewhat devalued as these rounds go on so there’s a favorable chance that Hines is still around on day three. The Cowboys seem like they’ll start shopping in the fourth round for running backs unless they’re just head over heels for Hines. However, they have the luxury to be patient with this position as there are plenty of talented guys that will be around even past the fifth round, where it makes the most sense for them to think about that move.