Cowboys Draft 2 Star Pass-Catchers - Michael Mayer & Jonathan Mingo - In Kiper NFL Mock
The Dallas Cowboys addressed a serious offensive need during free agency with the acquisition of Brandin Cooks via a trade with the Houston Texans ... but the Cowboys might not be done with adding offensive talent in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Exactly who Dallas will take with their first two picks in the draft (currently No.26 and No.58) is a fascinating watch, but ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. has dropped his fourth mock draft, and he has the Cowboys loading up on offense with their first two picks.
Kiper has Dallas selecting Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer in the first round and then following that up by selecting Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo in the second round.
Looking at the tight end position first. Despite having Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot as the heir apparent to Dalton Schultz's role in the offense, many still have Dallas drafting a tight end ... including Kiper.
Mayer is the best all-around tight end in this class; he's not afraid to latch on to defenders and block Kiper writes. Don't discount his receiving upside, either. He had 180 catches for 2,099 yards and 18 scores in three college seasons.
Mayer is regarded by many as the most well-rounded tight end prospect in the draft, and considering how talented this year's draft class is, that's some statement.
Now onto Mingo.
The Cowboys have held visits with several receivers, one of which was Mingo, so he is on their radar. Given the talent level in this year's draft, Dallas could have a decent chance of selecting Mingo in the second round.
The 6-2, 220-pound receiver has a great mix of size and speed writes Kiper. He averaged 16.9 yards per reception last season and he was mostly running short routes. He can break tackles once he gets the ball. He has experience playing both outside and in the slot.
Last season, Mingo had a "breakout" year for Ole Miss as he doubled his receiving and reception totals from the previous season. Mingo finished the season with 861 yards and five touchdowns on 51 receptions.
While those stats do not jump off the page, Mingo can be a valuable addition to the offense. He isn't the fastest receiver in the draft (ran 4.46 40-yard dash), but the biggest tick when it comes to Mingo is his route running, something that a host of Dallas receivers could have been better at last season.
Mingo runs crisp, well-placed routes and has the physical toughness when playing in the slot to be a damaging player.
With CeeDee Lamb and Cooks playing outside, having Mingo and Gallup as options would make the Cowboys' offense tough to stop. We then add Mayer, and the number of weapons at Dak Prescott's disposal suddenly becomes an embarrassment of riches.
Follow FishSports on Twitter
Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook
Follow Adam Schultz on Twitter
Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live-stream podcasts and reports!
