Cowboys Predicted to Go in Uncommon Direction With No. 20 Pick in NFL Mock Draft

In a recent mock draft, the Dallas Cowboys go in a different direction than most have them going in with their No. 20 selection.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

We've seen a lot of mock drafts come and go this offseason and most of them have the same picks for the Dallas Cowboys.

In the vast majority of mocks, you'll see the Cowboys taking some combination of two players from three or four positions, including linebacker, cornerback, edge rusher and safety.

And mocks with those types of picks no doubt make sense, as the Cowboys have glaring needs at those positions.

However, one draft analyst is going in a different direction than we normally see in Cowboys mocks.

Cowboys predicted to draft Tyler Guyton replacement

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

In the latest mock draft from Essentially Sports' Tony Pauline, the Cowboys take one of the usual suspects with the No. 12 pick, cornerback Jermod McCoy.

"Dallas is not afraid to roll the dice on injured players, and McCoy, who looked terrific during pro day, is close to 15 months removed from his injury," Pauline wrote.

Then, Dallas turns around and takes not a linebacker, edge rusher or safety, but Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling instead.

"I would prefer a linebacker at this spot, but left tackle has to be a consideration, as Tyler Guyton has been disappointing and injured since being selected in the first round of the 2024 draft," Pauline explained.

Would the Cowboys bail on Tyler Guyton?

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

It's definitely not crazy to think this could happen, as Guyton has struggled over his first two years in the NFL.

The former first-round pick gave up six sacks and 26 pressures in his rookie campaign. He finished with Pro Football Focus grades of 51.3 in run-blocking and 60.2 in pass protection, also.

He then followed that up with a season in which he struggled with injury, leading to him missing seven games.

When Guyton was on the field, he surrendered two sacks and 31 pressures and finished with PFF grades of 64.9 in run-blocking and 50.0 in pass-blocking.

The Cowboys could consider an in-house replacement for Guyton in Tyler Smith, who saw some time at left tackle late last season.

However, Smith has said he would prefer to stay at guard, so a full-time switch to the left side might not be in the cards.

“I’m an All-Pro guard, bro. That’s the simple truth. … We’ll see what happens. We’ll have those conversations. Gotta see where everybody’s head is at," Smith said in December.

Would Monroe Freeling be a good pick?

Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Monroe Freeling. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Freeling is one of the top tackles in this year's draft, so he may not even last until the Cowboys' No. 20 pick.

Four ESPN experts all ranked him as the No. 2 offensive tackle for 2026, so if teams view him the same way, he'll be long gone before Dallas is on the clock.

There are a few concerns with Freeling when it comes to playing left tackle, though.

Some experts think he's better suited on the right side, and he made just 17 starts in college, so he's far from polished.

Freeling also struggled in run-blocking last season, notching a PFF grade of 61.3 in that area. He was rock-solid in pass protection, though, with a grade of 85.6, which ranked 10th at the position.

We would prefer to see the Cowboys address their defense with their two first-round picks, but if there's no defender worthy of a selection at No. 20 and the Cowboys don't want to trade back, drafting a left tackle is a sound alternative.