Cowboys NFL Mock Draft 5.0: Can We Fix The Secondary?

It’s time to return to my Dallas Cowboys Mock Drafts now that the NFL Scouting Combine is complete. This will be the fifth mock leading up to the 2020 NFL Draft, and with the combine comes changes in player rankings, but not changes in priorities. At least not yet. As with Mock Draft 1.0 and Mock Draft 4.0, this fifth mock leans heavy on defense and works to fill as many of the Cowboys’ primary needs as possible.

So let’s get to Mock Draft 5.0, as completed with the mock draft software at TheDraftNetwork.com using its predictive selection rankings. I made the Cowboys’ selection. The computer made the rest.

Round 1: CB Kristian Fulton, LSU

I just can’t get away from LSU defensive players. In Mock Draft 1.0 I took LSU safety Grant Delpit, and in Mock Draft 2.0 I took defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson. Plus, with Mock Draft 4.0 I stayed in the SEC with Alabama safety Xavier McKinney. It’s beginning to look more and more likely that Byron Jones won’t remain in Dallas after free agency begins. There appear to be too many suitors for the Cowboys to not have to overspend to keep up. So corner may be a higher need looking ahead. That means the Cowboys need a starter-ready corner, and according to a TheDraftNetwork.com scouting report, Fulton is a ‘quality Day 1 outside corner candidate who is scheme-transcendent at the NFL level.’ If that’s the case, then that’s the kind of fit the Cowboys will need if Jones leaves town.

Jan. 27 Mock: S Grant Delpit, LSU

Feb. 4 Mock: DE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU

Feb. 11 Mock: WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado

Feb. 18 Mock: S Xavier McKinney, Alabama

Round 2: DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M

This is Madubuike’s second time around in the mock draft, as I took him with the second-round pick in Mock Draft 3.0. During the combine Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said he wanted six pass rushers and four down linemen. Now, whether the Cowboys choose to build defensive line depth will depend on two factors. First, can the Cowboys keep Maliek Collins (or do they want to keep him)? Second, what are the Cowboys’ plans long-term on defense? They’re a 4-3 set-up right now, but McCarthy oversaw a transition to the 3-4 in Green Bay, and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has coordinated 3-4 defenses in the past. As a reminder, Nolan is on record as saying he wants to play the ‘best 11 players’ on defense. So we don’t know if the Cowboys are looking for a scheme fit or the best tackle they can find. The good news is Madubuike can be a fit in both a 4-3 or a 3-4, though admittedly he’s better for a 4-3.

Jan. 27 Mock: DE Bradlee Anae, Utah

Feb. 4 Mock: DT Ross Blacklock, TCU

Feb. 11 Mock: DT Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M

Feb. 18 Mock: OT Lucas Niang, TCU

Round 3: S Jeremy Chinn, Northern Illinois

I’ve taken great pains in most of my mock drafts to address safety early, and since I went with a corner in the first round I wanted to see if there was a player that could help the Cowboys at safety on Day 2. Chinn, who is 6-foot-3 and 219 pounds, not only fits as a safety but comes with a stat line the Cowboys could use more of — at least three interceptions and five pass deflections in each of his seasons at NIU. TheDraftNetwork.com scouts say that he needs work in man-to-man coverage situations, but he can step in as a run stopper and a pass defender in two-safety situations just about right away.

Jan. 27 Mock: WR Denzel Mims, Baylor

Feb. 4 Mock: WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State

Feb. 11 Mock: S Brandon Jones, Texas

Feb. 18 Mock: DE Kenny Willekes, Michigan State

Round 4: DE Alton Robinson, Syracuse

There are five different scouting reports on TheDraftNetwork.com and they all touch on familiar themes. Robinson looks the part of an NFL defensive end, has an explosive first step and solid college production. But he also needs more coaching to expand his pass-rush moves and time to evolve as more than a straight-line rusher. But for a fourth-round pick, his promise is hard to pass on, especially when McCarthy wants six ends on his defensive line.

Jan. 27 Mock: TE Jared Pinkney, Vanderbilt

Feb. 4 Mock: S Richie Grant, UCF

Feb. 11 Mock: DE Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame

Feb. 18 Mock: WR Collin Johnson, Texas

Round 5: WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota

The Cowboys have two big free agents at wide receiver — Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb. The assumption is that the Cowboys will keep Cooper (but here’s an interesting thought reported by our Mike Fisher earlier this week) and, based on Cobb’s relationship with McCarthy, the Cowboys stand a chance of keeping him, too. Since we don’t know what the future holds just yet, the opportunity to add a quality receiver like Johnson this late in the draft works. He projects as a slot receiver and scouts rave about his route tree, a good asset to have in a slot receiver.

Jan. 27 Mock: CB Levonta Taylor, Florida State

Feb. 4 Mock: OT Jack Driscoll, Auburn

Feb. 11 Mock: CB Essang Bassey, Wake Forest

Feb. 18 Mock: CB Myles Bryant, Washington

Round 7: FB Sewo Olonilua, TCU

Olonilua is more than just a fullback. He’s a solid ball carrier who can find a higher gear in open space, knows how to block and is a solid receiver out of the backfield. He can be used on special teams, too. He might have a hard time making this team out of the preseason, but he could be a nice stash on the practice squad for development purposes.

Jan. 27 Mock: DL LaBryan Ray, Alabama

Feb. 4 Mock: CB Lavert Hill, Michigan

Feb. 11 Mock: OT Colton McKivitz, West Virginia

Feb. 18 Mock: DT Robert Landers, Ohio State

Analysis: This is probably my favorite mock to this point. This addresses every major need the Cowboys have at the moment, with an emphasis on impact players at corner, defensive tackle and safety on the first two days of the draft. On Day 3, we have an edge rusher with solid upside, a wide receiver that can emerge as a quality slot receiver and a fullback who can run, block and play special teams. But as free agency approaches, the rules will change.

My next mock draft will appear on March 12.

Add us as a preferred source on Google