A deeper look at 4 of the Cowboys’ pre-draft prospect invites

The 2022 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away and the Dallas Cowboys have sent out their official pre-draft prospect visit invites. Every NFL team gets to invite 30 collegiate players to visit the team’s facilities, meet with coaches, and talk to the front office. These are more meet and greets rather than workouts. The full list of Cowboys invites is here and the list of players truly runs the gamut.

Perhaps the most surprising part is that even though the Cowboys currently only have one first-round pick all the way back at 24th overall, there are several prospects throughout the list who are first-round contenders. Some of those names include USC WR Drake London, Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, Mississippi State OT Charles Cross, Georgia DT Jordan Davis, and Utah LB Devin Lloyd.

Position-wise, there are three wide receivers, seven offensive linemen, one running back, four tight ends, seven defensive linemen, four linebackers, and two defensive backs so far. All are expected to get drafted at various points in the draft, and some are even expected to go undrafted.

We wanted to take a look at four prospects from different positional categories to highlight some of the names listed above. One is a bit of a stretch in terms of the Cowboys being able to get him with the 24th overall pick, and the others are each projected to go in a different round, which makes their future in Dallas a bit more realistic. Let’s take a look at four of the players expected to visit The Star.

A deeper look at 4 of the draft prospects with official pre-draft invites to visit the Dallas Cowboys

4. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

Chris Olave was our stretch pick given he is widely expected to be taken in the top 20. However, he is a great receiver and the type of receiver Dallas has been looking for for many years. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Olave already made his visit to Dallas on Tuesday. Clearly, the front office knows they need to fill the void left by the loss of Amari Cooper.

London, Burks, and Olave are all incredibly talented, but also all have very different skill sets. Although the Ohio State Buckeye is just 6-1, 190 pounds, it’s hard to ignore his incredible speed. He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and showed off his effortless ability to execute routes as well as his impressive hands. He is a natural, well-rounded receiver who moves smoothly throughout the field.

It’s these attributes that make it hard to believe Olave will still be around at the 24th overall pick. He could absolutely be a day one starter for the Cowboys and would complement the skills of Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb nicely.

The scary thing about Olave’s visit is that it may mean the team is truly considering not drafting an offensive lineman in the first round despite the desperate need. Having only first-rounders on the WR visit list could mean the Cowboys don’t prioritize the OL despite Jerry Jones saying he knows how much the front is a priority. Olave is absolutely talented and would help the roster, but would drafting him over a guard or center be worth having several unanswered questions on the offensive line? Dak Prescott can’t throw Olave the ball if he isn’t covered.