Cowboys 7-round mock draft: Christian Gonzalez makes secondary elite

With six games down, the Dallas Cowboys are sitting at 4-2, which has them in third place in the suddenly dominant NFC East. The good news for them is that Dak Prescott should be returning and they were 4-1 without him.

This front office has done plenty to deserve criticism, but the fact that they did so well without their franchise quarterback is a testament to how deep their roster is — and the majority of that has come via the draft.

With that being the case, we take a minute to look ahead to the offseason and see what the Cowboys might be able to do to add even more talent with this seven-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft. We did one back in July, but here is a new version.

A 2023 Dallas Cowboys 7-round mock draft

Round 1: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

Trevon Diggs ended up being a great selection in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft as he led the NFL in interceptions with 11 last season. Dallas hoped they found a long-term starter across from him in Kelvin Joseph in 2021 after taking him in the second round as well, but he hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup.

Assuming he doesn’t improve before the year ends, Dallas could elect to use their selection in Round 1 on the position. They do that in this mock as Christian Gonzalez from Oregon is still on the board.

Gonzalez has the size that Dan Quinn desires at 6-foot-2 and 200-pounds. He’s also great in press coverage, which would be ideal in this system where they love to be able to send as many players as possible after the quarterback.

He needs to improve his ball skills but his ability to shut wideouts down makes him an instant starter across from Diggs and gives Dallas one of the best secondaries in the league.