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We are almost there. Just another day until the 2022 NFL Draft will officially begin. With draft day looming, we have put together our final mock draft roundup of the season.
We toured 10 different mock drafts and reached a consensus - almost everyone thinks the Dallas Cowboys will draft an offensive lineman. About the only other position group you can find a mock draft pick for is wide receiver. But the overwhelming sentiment is that the Cowboys are going to help their faltering offensive line get better.
Out of those 10 mocks, guard Kenyon Green was the top pick four times.
Round 1 - Pick 24
Kenyon Green OL
TEXAS A&M • JR • 6’4” / 323 LBS
He can play inside and outside and it’s time for Dallas to address an offensive line that isn’t what it used to be. They could also look at pass rusher or receiver here.
Round 1 - Pick 24
Kenyon Green OL
TEXAS A&M • JR • 6’4” / 323 LBS
The Cowboys have lost some pieces from their once vaunted offensive line, and Green’s SEC experience and positional versatility make him an easy pick here.
24. Cowboys: Kenyon Green, guard, Texas A&M.
It’s time to get back to taking care of the offensive line.
24. DALLAS COWBOYS: G KENYON GREEN, TEXAS A&M
Starting to inject some youth into the Cowboys’ offensive line feels like a must. Green startered [sic] at every single offensive line position except center last season, earning a 79.8 PFF grade. He’s interviewed really well with teams throughout the draft process, meeting with most teams in the back-end of Round 1 and top of Round 2. Dallas met with him at the combine and then brought him into its facility as well for a visit. Drafting someone with the versatility to play multiple positions is very enticing to teams.
Not much of a surprise here. Green has long been associated with the Cowboys in the draft process. Having him in for a visit at the Star only helps to solidify that connection. While the reason for drafting him is to play left guard, as noted above Green is a versatile lineman that could help in other places except center if needed. If you were going to lay money, this is probably the prospect that would most likely hit. Of course the draft is unpredictable, but this pick makes a lot of sense.
The next lineman in our roundup, Tyler Linderbaum, makes sense in the abstract of helping the offensive line, but justifying him into the Cowboys current line takes a little more imagination.
Pick 24 Dallas Cowboys
Iowa · IOL · Junior (RS)
Replacing one Tyler with another. Yes, 2020 fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz was a reliable player for Dallas last year, but I just keep thinking about what a building block the first-round selection of Travis Frederick was for the Cowboys back in 2013. Linderbaum could provide a similar boost to an offensive line that has become a shell of what was the most dominant unit in football about five years ago.
24. DALLAS COWBOYS: C TYLER LINDERBAUM, IOWA
6-foot-2, 296 pounds | Age: 22 (4/7/2000)
Linderbaum finished the 2021 season as PFF’s highest-graded interior offensive lineman and the top-ranked interior offensive lineman expected to enter the 2022 NFL Draft. He is an immediate upgrade over Cowboys veteran Tyler Biadasz, who earned just a 65.1 overall grade across 1,274 snaps played at center last season.
24. Dallas Cowboys | Iowa IOL Tyler Linderbaum
Fixing the offensive line has to be the top priority for Dallas. They take a strong step in that direction here, with the highest-rated center in this draft, and one that comes from a proven program when it comes to churning out elite blockers.
Linderbaum can fill in right away at any of the interior spots, and will be an immediate upgrade for a Cowboys squad that needs to protect their franchise quarterback.
24. Dallas Cowboys: Tyler Linderbaum, center, Iowa
Tea leaves pick, because of Dallas’ love of building the offensive line (Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith); because of high regard for Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz; and because Linderbaum is rated consistently the best center and a top-20 overall prospect on many boards. Which, for a guy who plays only one position, is saying something. Linderbaum is a rock-solid center, with 35 starts at the position over the past three years. He’s a little undersized for NFL center (6-2, 298) and doesn’t have position versatility—at least not yet. But he’s a physical, competitive player with the Ferentz pedigree. Iowa turns out terrific offensive linemen.
There are two sides to this pick. On one side, you have the top player at his position and the Cowboys are fans of that in previous drafts. He could also help along the offensive line which is something that the team obviously wants to do. Linderbaum represents a possible cornerstone along the offensive line for a long time.
On the other side, Linderbaum is pretty much pegged as a center-only kind of pick. That would mean he would displace Tyler Biadasz, and Biadasz, to this point, has not been thought of as a guy you could move to left guard. So that would mean the Cowboys would still have to fill that spot somehow. And there is support for Biadasz as he seemed to improve toward the end of last year and may be on his way to being a solid piece on the line. Media that is close to the team don’t think the Cowboys are inclined to go in this direction.
On to the other guard associated with the Cowboys, Zion Johnson.
Pick 24 Dallas Cowboys
Boston College · OG · Senior
Fixing the offensive line will help the Cowboys’ offense regain its explosiveness.
As we’ve discussed any times, if the Cowboys don’t take Kenyon Green, Zion Johnson just might be the guy.
And finally, another name that occasionally surfaces for the Cowboys at pick 24, but feels like it may be a reach.
Round 1 - Pick 24
CENTRAL MICHIGAN • JR • 6’6” / 303 LBS
Checks the “official visit” box for the Cowboys, who secretly need to reload on their offensive line thanks to attrition over the last few years from what was once the league’s best unit.
Raimann seems to be built as an offensive tackle given his frame and his good athleticism as he was once a tight end. You could probably squeeze him into the guard position for now but is that the best use of his talents? And picking him this high just feels like it is a reach. If he could play guard, he would represent great flexibility as he could move out to tackle in the future.
Okay, BTB. Who ya got at pick 24?
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