NFL draft results 2023: Dallas Cowboys select Jalen Brooks with the No. 244 pick

With the 244th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Jalen Brooks, a receiver from South Carolina. The Cowboys had poor depth past the top three at the position, so this was a needed addition.

NFL.com

Brooks was not granted eligibility by the NCAA until the fifth game of the 2020 season and he stepped away from the South Carolina program for the second half of the 2021 season. Those missed games help explain his limited college production, but his 2022 game film — when he started 12 games — failed to stand out. However, his play strength and ball skills are clearly noticeable on tape. He’s a high-cut, leggy route runner who struggles to outmaneuver coverage getting in and out of breaks. He’s highly competitive on 50/50 balls and has run-after-catch talent to have his moments in the open field, but his poor speed testing at the NFL Scouting Combine could be tough for him to overcome.

• Round 1, pick 26 - DT Mazi Smith (Michigan)
• Round 2, pick 58 - TE Luke Schoonmaker (Michigan)
• Round 3, pick 90 - LB DeMarvion Overshown (Texas)
• Round 4, pick 129 - DE Viliami Fehoko (San Jose State)
• Round 5, pick 169 - OT Asim Richards (North Carolina)
• Round 6, pick 178 - CB Eric Scott Jr. (Southern Miss)
• Round 6, pick 212 - RB Deuce Vaughn (Kansas State)
• Round 7, pick 244 - WR Jalen Brooks (South Carolina)

Cowboys Day 3 needs:

OG/OL: The Cowboys lost Connor McGovern, last year’s starter, and have yet to really replace him in the lineup. Tyler Smith could be the guy if they wanted, but they might prefer him at tackle, especially given Tyron Smith’s injury history, and Terence Steele’s injury recovery.

RB: Dallas begins life without Ezekiel Elliott (unless they re-sign him). With Tony Pollard as RB1, the Cowboys could use a complement, especially with Pollard on a one-year deal.

WR: The team brought in Brandin Cooks giving them a solid top three, but depth is an issue. It hurt them last year, they will want to reinforce the position for 2023.

CB: You can never have enough, and Stephon Gilmore may be only here for a year. They need to make a move to fortify depth and look to the future.