DALLAS — Draft week has arrived and for many fans, this is as good as it gets in the NFL. Aside from the actual games, dreaming about the draft is the favorite part of the season, where the unpredictability and reactions are priceless.
The Dallas Cowboys have played their part at providing entertainment throughout the years. There have been first round trades, like the one that landed them All-Pro Micah Parsons, and surprise selections, like Tyler Smith last year, to keep the fan base on the edge of their seats.
So what will Dallas do when their number is called? It’s all a guessing game at this point. There is some educated speculation going on, of course, but only Jerry Jones knows for sure who the Cowboys are favored to come away with in round 1 of the draft.
Even so, there are signs pointing to a few spots on the roster where the team could be looking to bolster on Thursday night.
Here are the top five positions that the Cowboys will likely be choosing from when they’re on the clock:
Running back
This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone who’s been paying attention. The Cowboys love to run the ball, they love having a premiere running back to hand it off too, and they believe running back is still a glamour position in the NFL.
Earlier in the offseason, Dallas released Ezekiel Elliott, the third leading rusher in team history, clearing a path for Tony Pollard to take over as the starting running back. Pollard is only guaranteed to stay with the Cowboys for one more season after signing his franchise tag tender and the organization is likely looking ahead for his running mate and possible eventual replacement.
This is a very good running back draft and the leading candidates at pick 26 are Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs. Robinson, in particular, is considered one of the top overall prospects in the draft, held back only by his position which has fallen out of favor around the league.
The Cowboys might buck that trend.
Wide receiver
Dallas has also been doing their homework on receivers throughout this draft process. Last offseason, the Cowboys never adequately replaced wide reciever Amari Cooper after trading him to Cleveland and fellow wideout Michael Gallup struggled after returning from a torn ACL. The result was a group of receivers, aside from CeeDee Lamb, who underwhelmed for most of the year.
The team cannot allow that to happen again. To ensure that it doesn’t, the Cowboys traded for wide receiver Brandin Cooks to add speed. Gallup will also be further removed from his injury and last year’s third round selection Jalen Tolbert should be improved, but there’s still room for a young wide receiver to develop.
Cooks is only guaranteed to be in Dallas for one season, and the offense needs to make sure that there’s enough depth at wide receiver for this year and beyond.
There doesn’t seem to be a dominant wide receiver for the backend of the first round, but there’s a ton of potential in the draft class. The best choices in round 1 include USC’s Jordan Addison, TCU’s Quentin Johnson, Boston College’s Zay Flowers, and Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njiba.
Tight end
There’s a potential ongoing theme developing with the Cowboys in this draft, and that is finding playmakers for quarterback Dak Prescott. Last year’s starting tight end Dalton Schultz was not retained, so the team currently has two unproven second-year players on the depth chart, Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot, to be his replacement.
The potential is there for either to make the jump and become a better version of Schultz, or the Cowboys could draft a difference-maker at the position with their first-round pick.
It's thought to be a very good year to need tight end help and there are some good choices if Dallas goes this route. The options include Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, and Georgia’s Darnell Washington. Rumors are that Mayer is high on the team’s list should he make it to pick 26.
Offensive line
Stating this need as merely “offensive line” might seem generic, but the Cowboys have been known to draft a linemen and then change his position once they arrive in the NFL. Last year’s selection of Smith is proof of that, as is future Hall of Fame right guard Zack Martin.
With the team’s offensive line in the midst of a bit of a rebuild, there’s some fluidity to where they’ll line up and more answers may come in the draft. Veteran tackle Tyron Smith restructured his deal to stay in Dallas, but it might be at right tackle now instead of left tackle, where he’s played most of his career. If that happens, it’s because the team is using Tyler Smith as their left tackle, which leaves left guard an open spot, and that’s where the Cowboys could be looking in the draft.
After losing that year’s starting left guard Connor McGovern, the team does have some options on the interior, which includes Josh Ball, who played tackle in his first two seasons, but there could be a bigger upgrade available at pick 26. The top choices are TCU’s Steve Avila, Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz, Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence, and Tennessee’s Darnell Wright.
It might seem like overkill to continue to draft offensive linemen in the first round but, as Cowboys executive vice president and CEO Stephen Jones admitted during the pre-draft press conference, you can never have too many good offensive linemen.
Defensive line
If Dallas takes a defensive tackle with their first pick, it could be a shocking selection. The last time the franchise selected a defensive tackle in the first round was in 1991, when Russell Maryland was the first pick in the draft, so this position feels like a longshot.
However, the Cowboys and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn do love their pass rushers so a defensive end can’t be ruled out. Micah Parsons is one of the league’s best and while defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence still brings the heat on the outside, he’ll be 31 years old during the 2023 season so it might be time to start thinking about the future.
Last year’s second round pick, Sam Williams, is on the rise to pair with Parsons over the next few years, but with Parsons now in a full-time pass rush role, the defense needs more options. As good as Parsons has been in his first two seasons, the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year did get a bit worn down at the end of the year.
Dorance Armstrong had his best season in 2022, but he’s probably hit his ceiling, and Dante Fowler is around for just one more year. Another edge rusher for the future would be ideal for the Cowboys and if they do decide to make a shocking pick up the middle, help stopping the run could be the call to action with the selection.
The top options for Dallas on the defensive line include Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, Clemson’s defensive tackle Byran Bresee and defensive end Myles Murphy, Georgia defensive end Nolan Smith, and Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald.
Which position do you think the Cowboys will address with their first-rounder on Thursday? Share your predictions with Ben on Twitter @BenGrimaldi.
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