PALM BEACH, Fla. — In less than three weeks, the Dallas Cowboys will undertake the most important part of their offseason with the NFL draft.
They have 10 selections, including at least one pick in every round but the fourth. They have two picks in Round 5 and Round 6, plus three in Round 7, but it’s what the Cowboys do with their first three picks that will determine the success of the draft.
Unless they make more trades, the Cowboys hold the 12th (Round 1), 44th (Round 2) and 76th (Round 3) picks.
Free agency isn’t over, but the Cowboys believe how they approached the offseason so far has set them up to be successful in the draft.
They added defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr., defensive end Payton Turner, running backs Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams, linebacker Jack Sanborn, guard Robert Jones and wide receiver Parris Campbell in free agency. They also traded for linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., cornerback Kaiir Elam and quarterback Joe Milton III.
They have patched holes, even if some fortification is needed at certain spots (receiver, running back, cornerback), but they won’t go into the draft with must-haves.
“Part of what we do in free agency is to make it to where, hopefully, there’s a great player sitting there with each pick that we really like. And [we] don’t want to be nailed down to, ‘Hey, it’s got to be a defensive lineman,’ or ‘It’s got to be a receiver,’ or ‘It’s got to be a linebacker or a running back,'” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “Let’s see what comes to us.”
Coach Brian Schottenheimer used the “best player available” phrase for what the Cowboys want to do with the 12th overall pick. But he was a little more specific in the traits.
“We don’t want to ever pick 12th again. All right, let’s be honest,” Schottenheimer said. “We don’t want to. We don’t want to pick that high, but you’re looking for guys that influence the game. How do you influence the game? You rush the quarterback, and you get sacks, strip sacks, fumbles, whatever it is. You score touchdowns. Okay? You build it from the outside in, so you got corners, receivers, they get isolated one-on-one. Pass rushers, tackles, they get isolated one-on-one, and then obviously the quarterback position.”
That doesn’t mean Schottenheimer does not put a premium on the defensive and offensive lines. He has mentioned multiple times since becoming head coach that the Cowboys need to be a physical team, and he wants to run the ball and stop the run.
But in the first round, the Cowboys could be staring at the top running back in the draft, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty; one of the top receivers, such as Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Texas’ Matthew Golden, Arizona’s Tetairoia McMillan; or even some of the better cornerbacks, such as Michigan’s Will Johnson.
An offensive lineman, such as LSU’s Will Campbell, or defensive lineman, such as Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, could solve some of Dallas’ issues, too.
“This draft lets us have a lot of flexibility,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “Our roster and where we are in the roster gives a lot of flexibility at every position.”
In 2020, the Cowboys never thought they would have a chance do draft CeeDee Lamb when they held the 17th pick in the first round. A year later, their sights were set on cornerbacks, but even after trading down two spots, they still were able to select pass rusher Micah Parsons at No. 12 overall.
“That’s not serendipity. That’s just what the draft is,” Jerry Jones said. You are sitting there and you get an opportunity that if you’re doing your job, you thought about all opportunities, you looked around the corners on your roster now and years to come. So all of those things pretty much make it wide open, position[-wise], to draft a player.”
Peering closer at the needs, however, the Cowboys still need a No. 2 receiver to Lamb. While Sanders had a 1,269-yard season three years ago, finding another running back makes sense. The Cowboys have proved to be effective in drafting offensive linemen, especially in the first round, although last year’s No. 1, Tyler Guyton, still has much to prove.
The departure of Jourdan Lewis in free agency and the uncertain nature of Trevon Diggs’ return from his second major surgery to his left knee in as many years makes cornerback a spot to watch. So is the interior of the defensive line.
Jerry Jones believes the Cowboys are in a good spot with the draft, early and late, thanks to depth at key positions.
“It melds with where we need players,” Jerry Jones said. “You always need a player, so there’s no such thing as not being able to lift your roster level. But still, I like the numbers in the areas that are particularly important to us.”
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