NFL draft week is just two weeks away, meaning mock draft season is winding down. As we creep toward draft day, one thing we are hearing a lot here recently is the possibility of a Dallas Cowboys trade up in the first round.
Today’s mock will feature that rumor. We will use the Pro Football Focus’ NFL Draft Simulator to give us a realistic look at how the draft could play out. Let’s dive in.
TRADE
DAL trades pick 1:12, 1:20, 3:92, & 5:152 for KC 1:9, 1:29, and 3:74
Round 1, 9th Overall
Best Available: Sonny Styles, Jermod McCoy,
Francis Mauigoa
The Pick: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Approaching the eighth overall pick, Rueben Bain Jr., Arvell Reese, and David Bailey have come off the board. With the New Orleans Saints selecting Mansoor Delane at eight, options are looking slim for one of the top defenders to fall to 12th overall. With the Kansas City Chiefs now on the clock at nine and needing help along the defensive line, defensive backfield, offensive line, and wide receiver, a trade back makes a lot of sense for them. With the top three edge rushers off the board, the two top offensive lineman still available, Jermod McCoy still available, and two of the top three wide receivers still available, the Cowboys strike a deal with Kansas City to move up to nine to select Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles.
Styles has been a major winner this offseason after blowing up the combine after an impressive season at Ohio State. Styles is an athletic freak at inside linebacker and has all the traits you dream of in a cornerstone player in the middle of a defense. Linebacker is the Cowboys biggest need heading into the draft and they get their guy by trading both of their first-rounders, the 92nd overall pick, and the 152nd overall pick (2,212.6 points) for Kansas City’s two first-round picks and earlier third-rounder at 74th overall (2,210 points).
Round 1, 29th Overall
Best Available: Colton Hood, Avieon Terrell, Peter Woods
The Pick: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
The continued discussion on finding the Cowboys next nickel cornerback has been a topic of conversation for most of the offseason. After signing Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick this offseason, both Stephen and Jerry Jones and Brian Schottenheimer have talked about wanting to find the right nickel for Christian Parker’s defense. Avieon Terrell is an ideal candidate to fill that role due to the tenacity and temperament he plays with both inside and outside at Clemson.
Terrell had an injury scare on his hamstring after running a disappointing 40-yard dash time at his private workout last week, but all reports suggest it was a tweak and he should be good to go for OTA’s. Terrell is a sticky cover cornerback who excelled in both man and zone coverage at Clemson, but the way he plays around the line of scrimmage fits exactly what both Parker and Schottenheimer have spoke about so far this offseason.
Round 3, 74th Overall
Best Available: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Chandler Rivers, Romello Height
The Pick: Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech
After adding Jonathan Bullard in free agency, the Cowboys three-down defensive lineman are pretty much set with a mix between Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otito Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, and Jay Toia. Their outside linebackers or pass rushing defensive ends when they get into nickel is the position that needs addressing.
Heading into the season, Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and James Houston are the only proven pass rushers on the edge for the Cowboys and that’s a major issue. Romello Height is an undersized, but effective pass rusher coming out of Texas Tech. Despite his lack of size, Height had a lot of success converting his speed to power and his pass rush arsenal is rather deep for a day two edge rusher. Height is limited to 3-4 defenses and will likely be more of a designated pass rusher early in his career, but with Gary and Ezeiruaku being quality run defenders, adding someone that can bring more juice on passing downs would be a wise investment. Height is also a 30 visit for the Cowboys this offseason, so some work is being done on the former Red Raider.
Round 4, 112th Overall
Best Available: Malik Muhammad, Kage Casey, Bud Clark
The Pick: Bud Clark, S, TCU
Bud Clark has been, and should continue to be, a common theme in mock drafts for the Cowboys. Clark played all over the field for the Horn Frogs over the last two years and impressed wearing multiple hats for the TCU defense. Clark’s tenacity, range, and instincts in coverage are starting caliber in the NFL. Despite adding multiple safeties this offseason, Clark could push for starting time as the teams free safety and also compete for snaps at nickel if need be. Clark’s versatility and demeanor on the field seems to fit in well with what we have heard from Christian Parker, making him a prime candidate to land in Dallas in the third or fourth round.
Round 5, 177th Overall
Best Available: Aamil Wagner, Ephesians Prystock, Aiden Fisher
The Pick: Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest
It should not shock anyone if Dallas uses this entire draft on defense, but they have been doing a lot of digging on wide receivers and running backs this offseason. Cowboys RB coach Derrick Foster ran Claiborne’s drills at his pro day at Wake Forest and it has been reported that the Cowboys are big fans of Claiborne’s skillset to pair with Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue.
Round 5, 180th Overall
Best Available: Trey Moore, Michael Taaffe, Zane Durant
The Pick: Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana
As mentioned earlier in the article, linebacker is the Cowboys biggest weakness heading into the draft. After landing a stud in Sonny Styles in the first round, going back to the well on day three makes a lot of sense for a team that lacks starting caliber talent and depth in the room currently. Aiden Fisher was a team leader for Indiana this year and was a key player for the Hoosier defense, leading them to the National Championship. Fisher is your typical middle linebacker that was effective playing the run and getting things lined up for the National Champs, and his leadership and physicality would be well used in Dallas on defense and on special teams.
Round 7, 216th Overall
Best Available: Pat Coogan, Skyler Gill-Howard, Oscar Delp
The Pick: Nyjalik Kelly, EDGE, UCF
The Cowboys have Nyjalik Kelly coming in for a 30 visit this offseason, so his name should be on everyone’s radar. Kelly is an average athlete, but his physical tools are what is getting him talked about on day three. Kelly is listed at 6-foot-5, 256-lbs, but his 35 1/8” arms and position versatility makes him an intriguing option late on day three. Kelly is viewed as more of developmental prospect instead of an instant contributor, but he has traits worth developing and posted 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons at UCF.
