Cowboys NFL Draft 10.0: 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Mock
For Dallas Cowboys NFL Mock Draft 10.0, I did what one might consider a “choose your own adventure” mock draft.
I did three mock drafts. In the first round of each draft, I picked the top player what most mock drafters consider to be the three “positions of choice” for the Cowboys — wide receiver, defensive back or defensive line. From there, it was about best player available within reason as I tried to fill out each draft. The idea was to see how taking a player at each of those positions in the first round would influence the rest of the draft.
There is one more mock draft after this, coming April 22, the day before the NFL Draft begins.
So let’s get to Mock Draft 10.0.
Defensive line in the first round
Round 1: DE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
Round 2: S Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois
Round 3: CB Troy Pride Jr. Notre Dame
Round 4: OL Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
Round 5: WR James Proche, SMU
Round 5: TE Harrison Bryant, FAU
Round 7: RB Darius Anderson, TCU
Analysis: Chaisson gives the Cowboys a boost on the edge immediately. Given the defection of Robert Quinn on the edge, the Cowboys need someone that can step in opposite Demarcus Lawrence and help out. He’s a little light, traditionally, for playing opposite Lawrence. But the Cowboys need all the help they can get with the pass rush. From there, I came across help in the secondary in the person of Chinn and Pride, both of which can compete for time right away. Biadasz is the gem given where he was taken. He could be a competitor at center or guard down the line.
Proche is great value in the fifth (and we know Dallas likes him), while Bryant and Anderson are strictly draft-and-develop, though Anderson, if he can stay healthy, can be useful on special teams. Overall, I like how the first four or five picks developed, given what the Cowboys need right now.
Previous mock Drafts
Defensive back in the first round
Round 1: S Xavier McKinney, Alabama
Round 2: DL Marlon Davidson, Auburn
Round 3: CB Cameron Dantzler, Mississippi State
Round 4: WR Lynn Bowden, Kentucky
Round 5: DE Derrek Tuszka, North Dakota State
Round 5: TE Colby Parkinson, Stanford
Round 7: CB Myles Bryant, Washington
Analysis: I’ve taken McKinney in the first round before, and if the Cowboys want to try and bolster the back row of their defense he’s a great option. Many scouting reports I’ve read call McKinney a “plug and play” starter, and I don’t think that impacts what the Cowboys already have at safety, especially since Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is only in Dallas on a one-year contract.
From there I stuck with defense, grabbing Davidson and Dantzler. Davidson can fit into a defensive tackle rotation while Dantzler is a quality corner that can compete for playing time right away. Bowden is one of the more versatile wide receivers in the entire draft. From there, Tuszka, Parkinson and Bryant are players that will need some development before they can make an impact. If I’m comparing this mock draft with the one in which I took Chaisson first, I’m probably taking the first mock draft because there is at least one more player that can make an impact in 2020 and beyond.
Worth noting: We think Davidson and Dantzler are players Dallas likes - Dantzler maybe going too low in my mock.
Previous mock Drafts
Wide receiver in the first round
Round 1: WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
Round 2: DL Raekwon Davis, Alabama
Round 3: CB Bryce Hall, Virginia
Round 4: DE Alton Robinson, Syracuse
Round 5: LB Justin Strnad, Wake Forest
Round 5: WR Isaiah Coulter, Rhode Island
Round 7: OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia
Analysis: Jefferson can play multiple positions on the field, which could prove useful to the Cowboys as they try to re-make this offense with Mike McCarthy in charge. I had hoped a player like CeeDee Lamb or Jerry Jeudy might have fallen here, but neither did. Jefferson is an above-average talent, but he clearly falls into the No. 3 receiver role for the Cowboys.
Big problem: Our Mike Fisher reports that Dallas seems dead-set against taking a receiver at 17.
Davis is a nice find in the second round, a defensive tackle that can rotate in for 2020 and step into a starting role in 2021, when Dontari Poe’s deal expires. Hall and Robinson can move into a rotation role right away, and Robinson has some real athletic upside. Strnad is a player that hasn’t popped up in one of these mocks, but he’s still growing as a player. So are Coulter and McKIvitz. Again, in comparison to the Chaisson mock, I think this one is a bit weaker. So give me the first mock.
Previous mock Drafts
My final mock draft will appear on April 22.
