NFL Mock Draft roundup: There’s a noticeable trend with recent Cowboys picks
By Jerry Trotta
The 2023 NFL Draft is just around the corner and mock drafts are getting published seemingly every time you open the internet. With the Dallas Cowboys hosting prospects for top-30 visits, experts are getting a better idea, though not a clear one by any means, of what they might do with the No. 26 overall pick.
The Cowboys are blessed with a stacked roster and thus don’t have any surefire needs to address in the first round.
Their activity in free agency and trades for Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore are to thank for that, but Dallas’ reputation as a draft-and-development team plays a huge part, too, as former draft picks are scattered throughout the current roster. Most sit atop the depth chart at their respective positions.
Recent NFL mock drafts are all over the place with pick 26, and understandably so given the Cowboys can take the best player available.
There is, however, a noticeable trend among the mocks.
Cowboys 2023 NFL Mock Draft roundup
Todd McShay, ESPN: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Fans are going to see Mayer mocked to Dallas quite a bit as we hit the home stretch before draft night. Mayer is viewed as a readymade tight end who can double as Dak Prescott’s security blanket and a in-line blocker who can pave running lanes for Tony Pollard. Mayer caught 67 passes for 809 yards (12.1 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns in his final season for the Fighting Irish. PFF’s Mike Renner and CBS’ Garrett Podell followed McShay’s lead in mocking Mayer to the Cowboys.
Chad Reuter, NFL Network: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Here’s that trend we were referring to. While Mayer is regarded as the foremost plug-and-play tight end in the 2023 class, Kincaid has the best ball skills. He attacks the football in traffic and is nifty creating yards after the catch. The only negatives with Kincaid are that he’s not an established in-line blocker, is an older prospect at 24 years old and is undersized relative to the ideal NFL tight end.
Lance Zierlein, NFL Network: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Johnston was formerly regarded as a top-15 pick, so it’s alarming recent mocks have him falling to the mid-20s. At 6-foot-3 with 4.3 speed, Johnston would give the Cowboys another big-bodied receiver who can win deep, though he has a propensity to drop passes and isn’t strong in contested-catch situations.
Adam Rank, NFL Network: Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
Kancey would be a home run selection for Dallas. The Pitt defender measured and tested eerily similar to none other than Aaron Donald. Kancey set the NFL Combine 40-yard dash record for DTs and would fill the greatest remaining need on the Cowboys’ roster. He led all IDLs last season with a 92.4 pass-rush grade and would be a perfect fit alongside Osa Odighizuwa and Johnathan Hankins.
