By staying quiet in the first week of free agency, the Cowboys are all but announcing that they’ll rely mainly on the draft to fill the many holes on their 2024 roster. That makes each of the seven selections they currently own terrifically important.
Offensive tackle, center, defensive tackle, and running back all seem to be big areas of focus, while depth at linebacker, wide receiver, cornerback, and safety would be nice, too. Some of those positions may be addressed with what remains of free agency, but the talent pool shrinks with each passing day.
The Athletic‘s Jon Machota, who knows the team about as well as anyone, addressed several of the Cowboys’ most pressing needs with his latest seven-round mock draft. And he even got an extra pick out of it to boot.
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“At this point,” Machota writes, “it would be somewhat of a surprise if the offensive line isn’t addressed with Dallas’ first-round pick.” But the Cowboys are forced to go to Plan B right out of the box here when all of the first-tier tackles are off the board by the 24th selection. Dallas trades down, taking Baltimore’s No. 30 and receiving an extra third-round pick for the trouble.
They end up with the 6-foot-5-inch, 313-pounder out of Duke who can literally do it all on the O-line. He started at left tackle for the Blue Devils (and earned back-to-back first-team All-ACC honors there) but projects as an even better guard and will likely be moved to center in the NFL. He would figure to be the starting center for the Cowboys in Week 1.
Though he falls to the second round in this exercise, Paul typically grades out as a top-10 tackle in this year’s draft class. He’s 6-foot-7, weighs 315 pounds, and he tested very well at the scouting combine, showing great speed in the 40-yard-dash.
According to PFF, Paul allowed just one sack and one QB hit in all of 2023, earning a pass-block efficiency grade of 98.9 out of 100. He’s no Tyron Smith, but he may have the tools to develop into a fixture at left tackle. He isn’t “close to a finished product,” notes Machota, “but Paul seems to have more upside than the current options on the Cowboys’ roster.”
“Benson has the ability to be the Cowboys’ lead back during his rookie season,” according to Machota. His size (6-foot-1, 223 pounds) would certainly pair nicely in Dallas with smaller backfield options like Deuce Vaughn and KaVontae Turpin, but he possesses elite speed in his own right.
Benson rushed for almost 1,000 yards in 2022, racking up nine touchdowns and averaging an impressive 6.4 yards per carry. He followed that up by topping 900 yards and scoring 14 rushing TDs last season.
With their extra third-round pick, Dallas selects the son of the Eagles linebacker who terrorized them for so many seasons. Jeremiah Jr. (6 feet tall, 230 pounds) is cut from the same cloth as his dad and could similarly be a long-term answer for the Cowboys at middle linebacker, with the 32-year-old Eric Kendricks on just a one-year deal.
Trotter is one of only four Power Five defenders in the last two decades to record 10 or more sacks, 4 or more interceptions, 3 or more forced fumbles, and multiple pick-sixes over his college career.
Richardson turned in a 4.34-second 40 in Indianapolis, the third-fastest mark for all cornerbacks. While the Cowboys already have Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis, the team “wouldn’t mind having another productive outside corner so they could continue using Bland on the inside,” per Machota.
The Louisiana native has 6-foot-2-inch height and arms of over 32 inches to go with that speed, and he led all SEC corners in tackles in each of the last two college seasons. He’s better than the fifth round and would be a great value if he’s still there.
Dallas currently has Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa locked in at defensive tackle for 2024, with Johnathan Hankins in the free agent pool. The Cowboys’ D-line “must get bigger in the middle,” Machota points out. The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Crumedy would certainly help.
With Jayron Kearse on the market for other teams, the Cowboys “could use more help on the back end,” Machota notes. The 6-foot-3-inch Watts has marquee-school experience with two years at Ohio State and then two more at Texas. His combine testing showed elite explosion skills and great agility.
Machota calls out a lack of size in the Cowboys receiving corps with Michael Gallup gone. The Utes’ media guide lists Vele at 6-foot-5. A walk-on in 2019, he ended 2023 as the team’s receptions leader.