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• First round flexibility: Thanks to their moves on the trade market and in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys can target almost any position in the first round.
• Defensive top two picks: While the Cowboys could easily target the offense with either pick, the defensive players available when Dallas is on the floor are too good to miss.
• Think you could do better? Fire up PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator and tweet me a screenshot to prove it.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
With just over a month left until the 2023 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys are doing really well.
While teams have traditionally upgraded their rosters through free-agent additions throughout March, the Cowboys have primarily opted to take advantage of the NFL’s trade market, sending Day 3 picks to the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans Team, in exchange for veterans Stephen Gilmore and Brandon Cooks.
Plus, the Cowboys did a good job of keeping some of their most important upcoming free agents — Tony Pollard, Donovan Wilson, and Leighton Vander Esch — while looking for the likes of Chuma Edoga in the bargain box. players to meet their other support needs.
The result is that the Cowboys enter the draft without an urgent need, which means Dallas has the flexibility to attack the draft instead of focusing primarily on selecting players at positions of need.
This flexibility can translate into countless outcomes, but here’s an underlying reality:
Round 1, No. 26 pick: Edge Will McDonald IV, Iowa State
One of the strongest signals that Dallas is interested in a prospect comes when a member of its coaching staff conducts a Pro Day position session with the prospect.
In 2022, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took care of Sam Williams’ spot during Ole Miss’ Pro Day before the Cowboys ended up with the No. 2 pick that year. The Rebels’ edge back was drafted.
So Cowboys fans should have their ears pricked up when it was revealed that Quinn was in charge of the McDonald’s position during Iowa State’s Pro Day, as it was a strong indication that Dallas was interested in drafting the former Cyclones pass rusher. By.
When you unwrap a McDonald’s tape, it’s easy to see why the cowboys would be interested in it. Despite being out of position for long stretches, McDonald showed promising pass-rushing traits, demonstrating electric get-offs, impressive frontcourt burst, and uncanny flex to twist his body and corners to the quarterback. And an improved pass rushing kit.
In fact, when McDonald was able to rush from more traditional routes to the true passing set, he produced some of the most impressive tapes in the class, finishing with a 91.5 rushing grade for 96 percent true passing set. University linebacker.
McDonnell would spin with a crosscut to get Darnell Wright #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/ntLdyuGSKf
— Taylor Browning (@DiabeticTyler) February 2, 2023
McDonald proved that during Senior Bowl week, where he earned the much-touted offensive tackle in Darnell Wright and others.
Although McDonald is small (6-foot-3, 239 pounds, with over 34 inches of arms) and struggles to defend the run effectively, his ability to chase passers is difficult to deliver in the first round.
Round 2, No. 58 pick: NT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
While the Cowboys effectively filled the hole on their roster, the nose tackle remains an area for upgrades.
Enter Benton, one of the most exciting forwards in the class. Unlike most defensive tackles over 305 pounds, Benton has actually shown some pass rushing ability, which makes the prospect of adding him to Dallas’ interior defense all the more enticing.
If your team needs a nose that can also regularly play quarterback (ahem buffalo), may I get you interested in Keeanu Benton? pic.twitter.com/CrCJfXD5HU
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) March 7, 2023
Since joining the Bardgers in 2019, Benton has posted a pass rush rating of 86.1 in three of his four seasons, despite spending a large portion of his time in the Ranked 81st percentile among college defensive tackles in timing of nose tackles. Benton’s explosiveness and violent hands allow him to create plenty of problems for interior offensive linemen.
He needs to work out some running skills, especially against double-teams, but he has all the makings to thrive in that area with more to develop.
Benton would be an ideal young forward to pair with Johnathan Hankins (if re-signed) at Dallas’ defensive lineman.
Round 3, the 90th pick: TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan
Schoonmaker is an older prospect (24) but is oozing NFL-caliber characteristics, making him an interesting midterm target.
Luke Schoonmaker is a TE prospect in the 2023 draft class. His RAS score was 9.85 out of 10.00. This ranks 17th out of 1046 TEs from 1987 to 2023. #RAS pic.twitter.com/XG9SXr7pyD
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 22, 2023
At 6-foot-5, 251 pounds and a 4.63-second 40-yard dash time, the former Michigan tight end has the physical attributes to be a mismatched weapon in the passing game. He’s not there yet, but slight improvements as a runner and catcher could make him a more efficient receiver in the NFL than he was in college.
Fortunately, while he’s developed into a pass-catcher, Schoonmaker has immediate-impact blocking, has shown strong latching ability and an impressive ability to create open runs on the rim.
Luke Schoonmaker Michigan
* tall thin target
*long strider
* Dexterity to release LOS
* Fluid control
* Offensive line extension
* Blocking pops up immediately
reach in
Keep fighting to win hand leverage
Create an elevator… pic.twitter.com/3MkpAkBWkV— Erik Turner (@ErikJTurner) March 4, 2023
Schoonmaker will pair very well with Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot on the Cowboys roster, giving the team a young three-headed monster to lead the team into the future.
Round 4, No. 129 pick: G Chandler Zavala, North Carolina State
One of the most underrated players in the entire class, Zavala has the makings of a starter but still flies low-key.
At 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, Zavala has the strength of the game you’d expect from a man his size, but also displayed impressive athleticism for such a big man.
I was impressed with what I saw with Chandler Zavala (North Carolina IOL 64). Watch how he locks down the defender and turns him around. pic.twitter.com/53ACBddowu
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) March 21, 2023
Those traits have given Zavala a very strong pass-blocking grade, and he has had only eight pressures in two seasons at NC State, posting back-to-back 79.0-plus pass-blocking grades in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, Zavala was excellent in the run game, where he did an excellent job of pulling defenders out of the way and creating running lanes for his back.
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s more surprising — the fact that Zavala wasn’t invited to the combine despite his impressive tape, or that he could still play in the fourth round in this case. Either way, what remains of the NFL’s loss is the Cowboys’ gain in getting someone who can develop into a starting left guard in Year 2 or 3.
Round 5, No. 169 pick: QB Aidan O’Connell, Purdue
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he wants to draft a developing quarterback every year, which is why the Cowboys chose to bring O’Connell here in the fifth round.
Aidan O’Connell isn’t afraid of those shuttered windows…
Purdue #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Ba3VbdCGOL
— Matt Waldman (@MattWaldman) December 20, 2022
The former Purdue QB is a burly (6-foot-3, 213-pound) quarterback with experience and success from inside.
While he’s unlikely to compete with Dak Prescott anytime soon, he could develop into someone who can compete with Cooper Rush and beat Dallas’ backup quarterback.
O’Connell’s lack of athleticism and inability to function when pocket issues are a concern, but his wins in other areas are enough to make him a worthy development as a fifth-round pick.
Round 6, 212th pick: WR Puka Nacua, BYU
On Day 3 of the NFL draft, it’s wise to bet on players with obvious NFL-caliber traits rather than looking for immediate contributors.
Nacua may be a basic runner at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds, but he’s shown excellent depth speed, fluid athleticism and notable ball skills that make him a lure who could be molded into the NFL. Man Clay Ball – Caliber Receiver.
Watch BYU WR Puka Nacua. Please check back later. pic.twitter.com/uGoLhONfbh
— Cory (@realcorykinnan) December 11, 2022
Additionally, Nacua has some of the better catch-and-runs in the class, as he averages 7.4 yards per catch in 2022 (80th percentile).
While Nacua is unlikely to contribute to Dallas’ offense early in his career, his size and skill set make him a more attractive developmental item than Dallas’ current developmental WR in Simi Fehoko.
Plus, those traits should be easily leveraged into special-team production in the NFL, giving Nacua a clear path to Dallas’ 53-man roster in 2023.
Round 7, No. 244 pick: RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
Considering Tony Pollard is the only “proven” running back on the roster and is playing under the franchise tag, the Cowboys are almost certain to land a running back at some point in this year’s draft.
While waiting until the seventh round to find a running back might be unwise for many, running back might be the only non-specialist position where direct contributors can still be found — just ask the Kansas City Chiefs and Isiah Pache Co will know.
Mohammad Ibrahim
Needed 1, got 50?????
pic.twitter.com/i1NImSHOuU
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 3, 2021
Ibrahim won’t wow anyone with his athleticism, but there’s a reason he’s one of the most efficient defenders in the class, as he has the vision, toughness and balance to consistently deliver positive results , and it turns out his 1,106 yards after contact lead all running backs in this year’s draft class.
The 5-foot-8, 203-pound running back has a style of play that could complement Pollard’s work well in the Dallas backfield.
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