Risers/fallers: Evaluating the top two targets for the Cowboys at pick 26 for OL, TE, and WR positions

We are less than a week away from when the Dallas Cowboys will be selecting the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. There are many different prospects that have come up over the last few months, but a great majority of them fall within the following three positions:

• Guard
• Tight End
• Wide Receiver

But even with these positions identified, there is no clear-cut candidate as they all have multiple prospects in consideration. Today, we’re going to take a look at the stock price of a pair of players at each of these positions and see which players are rising and who have fallen.

GUARD, Darnell Wright vs. O’Cyrus Torrence

Wright played tackle at Tennessee, but he has the traits to make a good NFL guard. He offers a lot of power with enough balance and body control to handle quicker pass rushers. He has strong hands and has demonstrated the ability to move defenders in the running game. There are still some things that need to be cleaned up, but Wright's athleticism and position flex combined with his overall strength makes him an ideal candidate to take over the starting left guard position.

Torrence is a pure guard, and he’s one of the best in this draft class. He brings enormous size and length to the interior line and strong hands to drive defenders wherever he wants them to go. He won’t move in open space as quickly as some others, and he can be caught leaning at times, but if he gets his mitts on you, he’s likely to overpower you in the trenches and clear a path for the running back.

Here is each player's average draft position (courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database) with the dotted green line representing the date of the NFL combine.

Current draft ranking: Wright (23), Torrence (29)

Torrence’s draft stock has stayed relatively constant as he dipped slightly after the combine, while Wright has seen an uptick in draft positioning to the point of moving ahead of Torrence by six spots.

TIGHT END, Michael Mayer vs. Dalton Kincaid

Mayer is a player that we are hearing more and more about as we get closer to the draft and for good reason. He’s built like a truck and has a knack for snatching the ball out of thin air. He won’t wow anyone with his speed and still needs to use better angles when sealing blocks, but he brings so much as a pass catcher. Mayer can run any route, controls his speed extremely well to create separation, and displays great body control to haul down contested passes. He’s not a block-first type of tight end the Cowboys usually go after, but Mayer has big-time playmaker ability as a receiver.

Kincaid is my personal favorite tight end in this draft class as he already has all the skills to be a good NFL tight end. His quickness helps him gain separation consistently. His athleticism not only aids his ability to get open but his length and agility helps expands his catch radius and he’s got razor-sharp focus. Kincaid would benefit from adding some strength as a blocker, but he’s already fundamentally sound and should get on the field right away.

Current draft ranking: Mayer (25), Kincaid (27)

Mayer started out as the hand-down top tight end in this draft earlier in the year, but Kincaid has closed the gap to where it’s almost a coin flip now.

WIDE RECEIVER, Quentin Johnston vs. Zay Flowers

Like in 2020, fans are hoping the best wide receiver in this draft class falls to the Cowboys and that the Cowboys snag him. Which receiver that is remains a mystery and it’s always a surprise to see which receivers come off the board first. TCU’s Johnston is one of the top guys as he has a great combination of size and speed. He has great breaks out of his routes and is very good at timing his jumps and high-pointing the football. His playmaking ability comes both as a ball hawker and as a guy who can take off in the open field. Johnston can play both on the outside and in the slot and resembles a juiced-up version of CeeDee Lamb.

Flowers is a much different kind of receiver as he possesses great suddenness to create separation. At 5’9”, 182 pounds, he’s a smaller receiver, but his quickness and relentless fight make him fun to watch. Flowers has developed great tracking skills from playing on a terrible team with a terrible quarterback, but that didn’t stop him from churning out the catches (78), yards (1,077), and touchdowns (12). Put this guy as a complementary slot rather than the alpha he’s been at Boston College and suddenly, you got a mismatch waiting to happen.

Current draft ranking: Johnston (19), Flowers (26)

Both these players have been relatively consistent in their draft rankings, however, Johnston has fallen slightly while Flowers gradually slides up. They are both in the Cowboys range with Johnston still in the lead.