If the Dallas Cowboys wanted to lean all the way into a best pure athlete mock, we cooked one up. We kept things tied to realistic draft ranges, but when the choice came this was all about looking for the highest-rated athlete at each draft selection. To do that we lean on public Relative Athletic Scoring (RAS) numbers where they’re available and on verified pro day testing or other testing sources where they aren’t. This is all about taking the best athlete available with each draft selection.
Pick 12: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
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with this being a mock where we stop worrying about positional value and just draft the rarest athlete, this is everything plus more. Styles is a 6-foot-5, 244-pound former safety who posted a 10.00 RAS, and NFL.com has already highlighted a mock where he falls to Dallas at 12, so this is not some fantasy-only outcome. In an athletic traits draft, you can bet on the size, range, blitz ability and coverage upside and let the coaching staff figure out the rest. For most, this pick is a dream come true, he’s not just a unicorn when it comes to athleticism, he fits a massive need for Dallas.
Pick 20: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Fano measured 6-foot-5 and 311 pounds and tested like a premium mover. He clocked a 4.91s in the 40-yard dash with a 1.72s 10-yard split, 32-inch vertical, 9-foot-3 broad, 7.34s three-cone, and 4.67s shuttle. Overall he posted a 9.76 RAS, and he was sitting right there at pick 20 even though he’s 12th overall on the consensus board, so getting him here is fantastic value. For this kind of mock, he’s a much cleaner bet on the athleticism pick than other prospects, because you’re talking about a true high-end offensive line mover with first-round athletic traits.
Pick 92: Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State
Hurst is one of the cleaner Day 2 size-speed bets in the class. He clocks in at nearly 6-foot-4 and 206 pounds with an elite 9.90 RAS. That makes him perfect for this kind of mock. You are not drafting him because Dallas desperately needs a receiver here, you are drafting him because that kind of frame plus athleticism profile is exactly the sort of thing you prioritize when traits trump polish. Things get tough with the George Pickens situation, now you have a backup.
Pick 112: Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M
Cowboys need to check the box at cornerback in the draft and Lee is a much cleaner athlete first pick because the testing is legitimately rare for a corner. He ran a 4.52s in the 40, a 1.56s in the 10-yard split, a 42-inch vertical, and an 11-foot broad jump, which produced a 9.39 RAS. Just as important, PFF has him 114th on its current big board, so taking him at 112 stays realistic to the range instead of forcing a pure workout warrior too early.
Pick 152: VJ Payne, S, Kansas State
Payne is 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, ran an official 4.40s in the 40, and has a 9.72 RAS while drawing round five discussion. That is exactly the kind of player this mock is meant to highlight, a prospect who might not be the cleanest or safest, but whose movement traits are way too good to ignore once you get into the fifth round.
Pick 177: George Gumbs Jr., EDGE, Florida
Gumbs is a classic Day 3 bet here for an all-athlete mock. He measures in at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, ran a 4.66s in the 40, 41-inch vertical, 121-inch broad jump and a 7.00s three-cone. His draft range has bounced around a bit making him hard to define where he’ll get drafted, with mocks putting him from anywhere between picks 150 to 215, so taking him here with pick 177 is aggressive but believable. If you are intentionally hunting explosive athletes, he is exactly the kind of rusher you should be targeting.
Pick 180: Jack Kelly, LB, BYU
Kelly sits at 185 on the consensus rankings so this pick fits when he owns a RAS at 9.83. Kelly measured 6-foot-2 and 242 pounds, and ran a 4.57s in the 40, added a 37-inch vertical and a 10-foot-5 broad jump, which is more than enough to qualify him as one of the better movement bets in this part of the draft.
Pick 218: Uar Bernard, DT, International Player Pathway
This is the purest athlete pick in the whole mock, and maybe the least known. Bernard is 6-foot-4, 306 pounds and jumped 39 inches in the vertical, broad jumped 10-foot-10 and ran a 4.63s in the 40 yard dash, which is absurd movement at that size. He is also projected as a Day 3 prospect, so this is exactly the kind of late swing you take when the goal is to chase physical upside and trust coaching later.
Which players are among your favorites in this mock?
